Dive Brief:
- Two-thirds of U.S. adults say that the returns process has become easier in recent years, according to a FedEx and Morning Consult survey of nearly 1,110 consumers and 500 business shippers released Monday.
- About 2 in 5 consumers have used no-label, no-box shipping methods for returns, the survey found. Additionally, nearly 7 in 10 consumers return items to the store where they were purchased, and slightly more than half return them to a shipping store.
- In comparison, less than a quarter of consumers schedule for a return to be picked up from their home. This appears to be less popular as many consumers lack adequate packaging materials to return from home, according to Ryan Kelly, VP of commercialization at FedEx.
Dive Insight:
FedEx’s findings point to a demand for convenient returns options. This is in line with recent research from Deloitte, which found that 1 in 3 consumers have stopped shopping with a brand in the past year because they didn’t like its return policy.
Return fees and strict return windows are among the chief practices consumers dislike in return policies, according to Bobby Stephens, principal in Deloitte Digital’s retail and consumer products practice.
Conversely, making returns as easy as possible can be a sales driver, according to Stephens. Removing the need for customers to print out a label or find a box can spell the difference between making a purchase or not.
"In some cases, they're already making the choice to buy knowing that they have a bit of an easier way to return it,” Stephens told CX Dive.
