On average, German online shoppers return 11% of their online purchases while a quarter never return goods purchased online, a new Bitkom survey has revealed.
The survey, carried out on 1,050 online shoppers in Germany aged 16 and over, on behalf of the digital association Bitkom found that on average, men return a significantly smaller proportion of purchases (9%) than women (14 %).
Returns are also more common among younger people than among older people. People between the ages of 16 and 29 return an average of 15% of purchases. This compares to 13% for the 30 to 49 age group, 10% for 50 to 64-year old’s and only 7% for 65 years and over.
“Every time goods are sent back and forth, resources are consumed – in the interests of sustainability, the aim must be to reduce returns to a minimum. Ultimately, this is also in the interest of the retailers, who save costs and effort in logistics – and this in turn benefits consumers through lower prices overall,” said Dr. Bernhard Rohleder, Bitkom general manager.
When it comes to the reasons behind the returns, the size of the product or wrong fit is cited by over two-thirds of surveyed shoppers. Half the people have returned items simply because they didn’t like the product while 56% had a product that was defective or damaged.
Interestingly, some consumers are now planning a return right from the start of the shopping process. According to the survey shows, 29 percent have intentionally ordered more than they actually need, for example clothing in different sizes.
“Digital tools such as AI-based shopping assistants, data-based size advice and virtual fittings can help you find the right product straight away when shopping online and thus reduce the return rate at the same time. Online retailers have recognised this and are increasingly incorporating such applications into online shops,” Rohleder added.
