{"id":29691,"date":"2023-08-09T14:22:36","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T19:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/?page_id=29691"},"modified":"2023-08-28T11:56:53","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T16:56:53","slug":"merchandise-returns","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/research\/apparel-shopping-trends-2023\/merchandise-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Apparel Merchandise Returns \u2013 and The Key Reasons Behind Them"},"content":{"rendered":"
\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Prevalence of Apparel Returns\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Returns are all-too-common for apparel brands and retailers. Of consumers who have made an apparel purchase in the past 90 days, over half (53%) have made a return. In 2022, this number was 54%.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t0<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t%<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
of consumers who have made an apparel purchase in the most recent 90 days have also made a return. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Why Consumers Return Apparel\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Consumers return apparel for any number of reasons. However, the top reasons for returns are related to an item not meeting the shopper\u2019s expectations in some way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly four in 10 (39%) consumers return apparel because they don\u2019t like the way it fits. And 28% do so because the item didn\u2019t look the way they thought it would.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tKey Reasons for Apparel Returns\n<\/span>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
If you have made a return in the last 90 days, what were the reasons?<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tI didn\u2019t like the sizing\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t39%<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tItem didn\u2019t look like I thought it would\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t28%<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tI bought different sizes of the same item and then returned those I didn\u2019t like\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t13%<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tItem didn\u2019t match the description\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t13%<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tItem damaged or defective\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t10%<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Key Takeaway 1<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Apparel Returns are Extremely Common<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

If a large percentage of merchandise you sell is returned, you\u2019re not alone. More than half of consumers who have purchased apparel within the last 90 days have returned at least some of that merchandise.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no way to completely eliminate returns. However, you can reduce them. The first step is to understand the reasons behind those returns.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Key Takeaway 2<\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Setting Clear Expectations Can Dramatically Reduce Return Rates<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The most common reasons for returned merchandise are related to a product not meeting a shopper\u2019s expectations. Be sure to include plenty of information on your product details pages to ensure your shoppers have a better idea of what to expect from each of your products. Of course, brand-provided content, imagery, and sizing information is important. But increasingly, consumers want to hear about the experiences of others like them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be sure to collect and display reviews, photos, and videos from your customers. This content will help future shoppers understand how a product has (or hasn\u2019t) worked out for others like them. Shoppers\u2019 will have realistic expectations \u2013 and they\u2019ll be less likely to return merchandise after it arrives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested in learning what apparel shoppers want from reviews? We explore that topic in detail here.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
This research is taken from Apparel Shopping Trends in 2023, a survey of 25,452 US consumers fielded in June 2023.

Check out the survey hub for further insights.<\/a><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBack to Hub<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Merchandise returns have always been a frustration for brands and retailers. The rise in ecommerce has further amplified the problem. However, simply eliminating returns isn\u2019t the answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":10432,"parent":29648,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"yst_prominent_words":[535,30,2791,971,166,4488,2342,2139,572],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29691"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29691\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29691"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powerreviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=29691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}