随着购物者在大流行期间在线购买更多商品，他们也将更多的衣服、鞋子和其他购买物退回给零售商。
根据美国零售联合会和 Appriss Retail 周二发布的调查结果，平均而言，零售商预计将在 2021 年收回客户购买的商品总量的 16.6%。这与 2020 年 10.6% 的平均回报率相比有所提高。
根据 10 月中旬至 11 月中旬期间 57 家零售商的反馈，这项调查显示，商品价值总计超过 7610 亿美元。
当消费者在线购买时，回报往往会更高——这种购物方式可以很容易地将物品扔进虚拟购物篮，但很难想象它们的外观或适合自己的样子。根据 NRF 的数据，到 2021 年，在线销售额约占美国零售总额 4.583 万亿美元的 23%。不需要的购买会回到零售商的商店和仓库，并成为必须决定是否可以转售这些物品、让制造商将其注销或是否必须承担损失的公司头疼的问题。
NRF 发现，网上购物的平均回报率为 20.8%，高于去年的 18.1%。
乔治梅森大学商业副教授 Mehmet Sekip Altug 表示，过去零售商往往会忽视出售后发生的事情。
“随着在线销售的增加，退货率也显着增加，我认为这不再是次要问题，”他说。
他指出，像 Warby Parker 这样的直接面向消费者的品牌已经开设了商店，作为陈列室，人们可以亲眼看到商品，而不是依赖网站的图片。其他零售商通过免除费用来鼓励顾客将在线购买的商品退回商店——希望能吸引他们购买其他商品。
预计假期回报率也会更高。调查发现，平均而言，零售商预计 11 月和 12 月售出的商品将有 17.8% 或 1580 亿美元被退回。据该贸易集团称，假日销售额同比增长 14.1%，达到创纪录的 8867 亿美元。
某些类别比其他类别带来更多回报。根据今年的调查，汽车零部件的退货率最高，平均为 19.4%。其次是服装，平均退货率为 12.2%，其次是家居装饰和家居用品，平均退货率为 11.5%。
对于一些零售商来说，退货困境激发了收购和新方法的灵感。沃尔玛以未公开的价格收购了虚拟试衣间初创公司 Zeekit。百思买有一个在线商店，出售保修范围内的开箱电器、电视等。包括亚马逊在内的其他一些公司正在提供退款，但告诉消费者保留一些退回的商品，而不是处理退货和处理大件、定制或低价值商品的麻烦和成本。
逆向物流协会执行董事 Tony Sciarrotta 表示，客户希望零售商有慷慨的退货政策，但这些政策可能会激发购物者过度订购，例如购买多种颜色和尺寸的连衣裙。他说，除了削减利润外，很大一部分退货可能会让零售商在努力实现可持续发展目标并试图在供应链面临挑战期间保持商品库存时绊倒他们。
他说，随着大流行推动电子商务的增长，精明的零售商越来越关注退货和测试策略，这些策略可能会减少网站上的 3-D 图像和可以建议合适尺寸的人工智能驱动工具等数量。
退货也可能为欺诈创造机会。 NRF 发现，每接受 100 美元的退货商品，零售商就会因退货欺诈损失 10.30 美元。
A more than $761 billion dilemma: Retailers' returns jump as e-commerce sales grow
As shoppers buy more online during the pandemic, they are also returning a larger portion of clothes, shoes and other purchases to retailers.
On average, retailers expect to get back about 16.6% of the total merchandise that customers purchased in 2021, according to survey results released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail. That's a jump from an average return rate of 10.6% in 2020.
That adds up to more than $761 billion of merchandise, according to the survey that is based on responses from 57 retailers between mid-October and mid-November.
Returns tend to be higher when consumers buy online — a mode of shopping that makes it easy to toss items into the virtual basket, but hard to visualize how they will look or fit in person. Online sales accounted for roughly 23% of the $4.583 trillion of total U.S. retail sales in 2021, according to NRF. Unwanted purchases come back to retailers' stores and warehouses and become a headache for companies that must decide whether they can resell those items, get them written off by the manufacturer or if they must take the loss.
The average rate of returns for online purchases was 20.8% — an increase from 18.1% last year, NRF found.
Mehmet Sekip Altug, associate business professor at George Mason University, said retailers in the past tended to overlook what happened after the sale.
“As online sales increase, the return rate has also increased significantly and I don't think it's a secondary problem anymore,” he said.
He pointed to direct-to-consumer brands like Warby Parker that have opened stores that act as showrooms where people can see items in person rather than relying on a website's pictures. Other retailers encourage customers to return an online purchase to a store by waiving fees — with the hope of enticing them to buy something else.
Holiday returns are expected to rise higher, too. On average, retailers expect 17.8% or $158 billion of merchandise sold in November and December to be returned, the survey found. Holiday sales grew 14.1% year over year and hit a record $886.7 billion, according to the trade group.
Some categories drive more returns that others. Auto parts have the highest return rates, with an average of 19.4%, according to this year's survey. That's followed by apparel with an average return rate of 12.2%, followed by home improvement and housewares that are tied at an average of 11.5%.
For some retailers, the returns dilemma has inspired acquisitions and new approaches. Walmart bought virtual fitting room start-up, Zeekit, for an undisclosed amount. Best Buy has an online outlet where it sells open-box appliances, TVs and more that are covered by a warranty. And some others, including Amazon, are providing refunds but telling consumers to keep some returned items, rather than dealing with the hassle and cost of shipping back and processing a bulky, custom-made or low-value item.
Tony Sciarrotta, executive director of the Reverse Logistics Association, said customers expect retailers to have generous return policies, but those can inspire shoppers to over-order, such as buying a dress in multiple colors and sizes. Along with cutting into profits, he said, a heavy percentage of returns can trip up retailers as they work toward sustainability goals and try to keep items in stock during a period of supply chain challenges.
With pandemic-fueled e-commerce growth, savvy retailers are paying more attention to returns and testing strategies that could tamp down on the volume like 3-D images on websites and artificial intelligence-powered tools that can suggest the right size, he said.
Returns can create opportunities for fraud, too. For every $100 in returned merchandise accepted, retailer lose $10.30 to return fraud, NRF found.
