Barclaycard Spend data shows that online spending rocketed 15.1% on Black Friday last year compared to the same time in 2014, demonstrating how lucrative this busy spending period is for retailers. This year, we’re set to see another wave of activity on the digital high street, as four in 10 consumers who plan to shop on Black Friday say they will do so online. However, as shoppers prepare to splash the cash during the seasonal sales, the offshoot is that many of the items bought could also be returned. 

Three in 10 shoppers class themselves as Serial Returners, and one in five order multiple versions of the same item to make up their mind at home. With Serial Returners likely to take advantage of low prices and impulse buy items before later deciding what to keep, retailers need to be prepared to manage ‘buy to return’ habits this sales season. Those that don’t risk losing out financially, while also being left with stock they can’t sell - nearly six in ten retailers (57%) say that dealing with Serial Returners has a negative impact on the day-to-day running of their business.

Online retailers are the hardest hit by Serial Returner activity, with three in ten claiming that managing the returns process has an impact on their profit margin, and a fifth have even introduced a new system to cope with stock they cannot sell. This is resulting in stockrooms filling with unsellable items, including products which have clearly been used (48%), ones which are marked (29%) or have parts missing (28%).

However, the majority (89%) of retailers acknowledge that a good returns policy is important to their customers. As a result, merchants are stuck between accommodating shoppers’ demands and balancing their bottom line, with almost 57% giving refunds regardless of product condition to maintain a positive relationship with customers.