New study finds that one in six now do nearly all of their shopping online
New research by Royal Mail has found that nearly one in six people now do virtually all of their shopping online and that online shoppers are looking for convenience and certainty in the way returns are handled.
The report entitled ‘Delivery Matters Returns Special’, which focuses on the customer returns experience, shows that 30% of the online shoppers surveyed had returned women’s clothes. The main reasons for returning clothing were found to be fit and size, as well as faults and damage.
In addition, 73% of those polled said they always expected free returns with 60% saying they would be unlikely to purchase from an etailer or marketplace seller again if they had been charged for a return.
The research also found that 72% favoured the Post Office over other locations as a drop off point for returns. Meanwhile, 78% of online shoppers said their returns experience was likely to impact on their rating of a marketplace seller and 77% said they would be more likely to shop again with a retailer if they were offered returns with Royal Mail.
The research coincides with the launch of the new Royal Mail Tracked Returns service.
Nick Landon, managing director at Royal Mail Parcels, said: “The internet is one big shop front, letting people anywhere in the country get their hands on anything they want. Convenient returns play a big part in making e-commerce attractive, and as online shoppers become more and more comfortable with online purchasing they are starting to dictate how they want the process to work, from free returns to end to end tracking. We are sharing this research, and launching our new easy to use returns portal, to help online retailers satisfy the evolving needs of today’s online shoppers.”
