Utrecht, The Netherlands, Feb. 23, 2022 — Returns management company Cycleon announced today the results of a recent survey finding that U.S. shoppers are more likely to send back online fashion purchases than their European counterparts — but Americans are happier to subsidize environmentally friendly ecommerce options, according to the latest research.
A survey of more than 2,600 online fashion shoppers across the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy and Sweden found that more than a third (34%) of U.S. shoppers said they “frequently” send back online fashion purchases in comparison to just 20% of European shoppers.
The research found that Americans were more likely to embrace a “try before you buy” approach to online fashion than Europeans. Both sets of shoppers displayed similar behaviors when it came to finding the right size, with 44% of U.S. online shoppers said they buy several sizes of the same item to try on at home, compared to 41% of European shoppers – but Americans were also more likely to buy the same item in different colors than their European counterparts (39% to 22% respectively).
Moreover, American shoppers were nearly twice as likely to send back an item they’d already worn, with 28% of US shoppers admitting to this compared to 16% of Europeans.
Mitigating The Environmental Impact
Online fashion purchases are typically returned at a higher rate than items bought in store, with Cycleon calculating that 3 in every 10 ecommerce fashion items are sent back. The post-pandemic ecommerce surge has sparked an enormous rise in returned items and this has led many brands to invest in initiatives to address and offset the environmental impact of returns.
Some brands are now exploring sustainable returns transportation options, such as biodiesel trucks or electric transportation. Cycleon’s research found that U.S. shoppers were more willing to have the cost of these efforts passed on to them – almost two-thirds (64%) of U.S. consumers said they would be willing to pay extra when returning a parcel to subsidize greener carrier options, compared with just 47% of European shoppers said the same.
Cycleon works towards bold environmental goals and reinvests earnings into sustainable returns measures aimed at reducing parcel movement, decreasing Co2 emissions, promoting the circular economy and working with suppliers on joint sustainability goals.
“Shoppers around the world are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their own shopping habits and will reward brands that help them to minimize or offset this impact in 2022,” said Joseph Valentine, Senior Sales Executive at Cycleon. “American consumers may be generating more frequent returns than their counterparts in Europe but there is a clear opportunity here for trailblazing U.S. brands to lead from the front with pioneering sustainability initiatives, educating their customers on the outcome of these initiatives and how much they cost. Brands who empower their customers to make sustainable choices will be rewarded with customer loyalty.”
About Cycleon
Cycleon (a Reconomy Group company) are experts in product returns management. An industry-leading, full-service partner for brands and retailers looking to optimize their reverse logistics. With a global network coverage, Cycleon manages retail, service and ecommerce returns from consumers and businesses, combining IT and logistics while taking full responsibility of the returns journey. Returns are smartly managed end-to-end, from returns initiation to final redeployment. For more information visit our website.