Running Fashion
Many Happy Returns Apparel returns are the norm in both online and in-store shopping and retailers need sound policies to adapt. / By Patrick Purcell
P
icture this — a woman shopping online buys six pairs of running tights in various colors and sizes. The idea being, let’s see what fits and what these colors/patterns actually look like in person and in the mirror. The intent when purchased is to only keep two pairs and send the rest back. That is the new reality of consumer behavior when it comes to buying apparel online. And run specialty retailers selling online are going to have to get used to it. Retailers are seeing similar scenarios in their brick-and-mortar stores as well. As retail stores continue to open (most with closed fitting rooms) more and more people are turning their homes into their own personal dressing room. Defining Return Policies Consumer shopping habits are changing as brands refine their return policies and out of necessity make it easier than ever to return product. With most fitting rooms closed and the home being the new dressing room, most companies are defaulting to generous return policies, free shipping and free returns as consumers are buying more and more online. Indeed, in the first half of 2020 e-commerce sales increased 30 percent year over year from 2019. And a simple fact of retail life is that more online shopping also means more returns. Online and specialty retail consumers are increasingly basing their decision on where to buy on the ease of return policies. For example, return rates in brick-and-mortar stores average around eight percent — for online orders that average jumps to 25 percent. This brings us to why consumers are making returns in the first place. Are
18
runninginsight.com
It is vital for run specialty retailers to cater to the online apparel shopper with favorable return policies.
customers unhappy with the products they are purchasing? Not necessarily. • 80 percent are returning product due to it arriving damaged. • 64 percent say the item purchased does not match the description of the product. • 30 percent are saying they are making
purchases with the intent to return, both online and at brick-and-mortar locations. Making Returns A Pleasure Product returns do not always have to have a negative connotation. Too often, the phrase “I need to return this” brings
© 2021 Diversified Communications