Post-Christmas Returns Estimated to Cost Retail Industry £1.05bn

Takeback Tuesday is here, with UK retailers preparing for a wave of 52 million unwanted gifts heading back to stores.

These post-Christmas ‘boomerang parcels' are estimated to cost the industry £1.05 billion, while shoppers face a returns process that is often slow, inconvenient and less sustainable than it should be. 

Lee Graham, Director of Parcel Pending Locker Solutions at Quadient, shares practical insight on how retailers and customers can simplify returns, reduce costs and limit environmental impact.

Lee Graham, Director of Parcel Pending Locker Solutions at Quadient UK: 

“From Black Friday bargains to last-minute Christmas shopping, we all get used to parcels arriving at our doors over the festive period. But by the time the tree has come down, and people are back at their desks, the last thing many of us want to do is stand in a long queue with an armful of unwanted presents. Although most retailers encourage shoppers to make returns, many of us feel hesitant about taking unwanted gifts back to stores for exchanges and refunds. Far too often, those items sit in hallways and wardrobes until the returns window is almost over, or they remain in our homes collecting dust. That’s bad for customers, bad for retailers and bad for the planet. 

“Customers increasingly expect to return items on their own terms, whether it’s on their commute, on a lunch break, or in the evening on the way home. Retailers that combine clear policies with multiple drop-off options, including parcel lockers and Click & Collect areas, remove the embarrassment factor and the time pressure. A return should feel like a two-minute errand, not a full morning’s mission. 

“And once retailer returns windows close, there’s often a second wave of parcel activity as shoppers turn to C2C resale platforms to resell unwanted Christmas gifts. While there are many options available smart lockers allow shoppers to send and return parcels 24/7 without joining the sales queue, which keeps consumers happy and shop floors focused on selling. For retailers and marketplaces, consolidating returns through designated collection points such as smart lockers means they can move items back into circulation faster and with better tracking. When margins are thin and every lost week eats into resale value, a fast, convenient returns and resale experience becomes a powerful loyalty driver. If you make it painless to send something back after the Black Friday and Christmas shopping spree, that customer is far more likely to shop with you again in the January sales and beyond.”

Source : Quadrient

Image : Prostock-Studio / iStock / 624893634

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