As post-Christmas returns skyrocketed in January and February, due to the explosion in ecommerce sales globally, Gen Z and Millennial consumers are now the most likely demographics to choose not to return unwanted items, the latest data from ESW reveals.
ESW’s ‘Global Voices: 2022’ survey of more than 14,000 consumers across fourteen countries shows that while Gen Z and Millennial shoppers combined comprise 60% of cross-border shoppers globally, 56% admitted they had made purchases from internationally-based retailers that they ultimately didn’t want but chose not to return, saying the process was inconvenient (35%), expensive (34%), and bad for the environment (20%). Additional reasons cited for not returning items included insignificant item cost (28%), an unclear returns policy (26%) and a lack of local collection points (21%).
Geographically, the markets where consumers overall were most likely to avoid returns were China (67%), India (64%) and UAE (64%), with women being 13% less likely to return unwanted items than men.
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, ESW’s President and CEO, Americas, said, “Eliminating the friction Gen Z and Millennials associate with returns will be a big win for all direct-to-consumer brands, as these young adults will continue to drive the growth in ecommerce in all markets.”
“Our research has shown that more than 30% of Gen Z and 37% of Millennial shoppers have made 11+ cross border purchases in the past year alone. Taking away the ‘work’ associated with returns will help attract more Gen Z and Millennial shoppers. Free returns, scheduled pick-ups, and easy-to-access collection points will help mitigate burdensome returns requirements.”
He added, “Brands that transparently communicate their sustainable shipping options for both deliveries and returns will likely create a more loyal customer base across all generations.”
