While there was much wringing of hands two years ago over the rate at which consumers returned merchandise to online retailers, the return rate for online retail purchases is actually lower than that for catalogs, returns processor ReturnCentral tells InternetRetailer.com. ReturnCentral says customers return 25% of online purchases and 35% of catalog purchases.
Analysts offer a number of reasons for the lower rate. “Online is lower because retailers give more information online and because the buyers are more tech savvy,” says Geri Spieler, Gartner research director of Gartner Inc.’s Gartner G2 Retail Services Group. Others speculate that consumers believe it’s harder to return a web purchase than a catalog purchase and so they don’t bother.
One area where online and catalog are equal in returns: apparel. Online and catalog apparel have the same return rate: 35%. Electronics and computer sellers experience a 10% return rate and sporting goods, books/movies and toys have a 20% rate of return.
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