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~ B2C Europe ~

By gaining insight into what the European consumer values the consumer is offered enough insight into the products. This
when returning products, these problems can be converted into increases the chance that the product meets the expectations of
opportunities. the consumer. In addition, it is also important that the online
shop asks about the reason for a return. This is something e-
The state of the return tailers can use and react to.
The increasing number of international e-commerce returns
has partly emerged because European consumers increas- Besides the fact that European consumers expect to have an
ingly find their way to foreign online shops for their favourite extended period of time to return their order, this is also a
products. At the same time, online shoppers are becoming good way to avoid returns. When the consumer gets more time
increasingly demanding. After all, the internet is boundless and to return the item, this will result in fewer return shipments.
new technologies and practices are reducing the restrictions to Research suggests a decrease of 47% in returns can be seen
the e-commerce consumer. For this reason, the international when stretching the return time to one month. An endowment
consumer expects a simple and seamless shopping process, with effect can be seen here: the longer someone has a product in
excellent quality and customer experience from online shops. his or her possession, the harder it will be for them to send it
Does the product not meet expectations or does another size fit back.
better? Then it will be sent back to the sender, increasingly free
of charge. For many retailers it is equally important that they provide
good product images with sizing solutions. With high-quality
The downside product images online shops can ensure that the visual repre-
The large return flow creates extra costs for online shops. This sentation online matches the actual product. This simultane-
is because they must ensure that the product arrives back to ously causes an increase in the number of products sold and
their warehouse again. Then the package must be checked and prevents returns.
re-packed. It is also necessary for online shops to have addi-
tional stocks, which means that more money is tied up in stock. To avoid the consumer from receiving the wrong or a damaged
Many, especially small, online shops often cannot handle this item, it is important that warehouse operations are managed
extra influx. Moreover, it also affects the environment. Because properly. For example, regular checks are in place to make sure
of the enormous number of returns, more delivery vehicles have that operatives know how to do their job correctly and that
to be on the road. The result is that traffic congestion occurs the products are categorised correctly. It is also important that
and so more harmful substances such as nitrogen dioxide and investments are made in the packaging of products to reduce
particulate matter are released into the air by exhaust fumes. the likelihood of ripping and breaking during transport.

An outdated view Conclusion
It is therefore better for online shops to focus on developing Online shops preferably want to concentrate on the sales and
a good returns procedure. B2C Europe’s latest research shows marketing of their products. However, at a time when consum-
that more than two thirds of online shoppers (68%) take the ers are returning an endless number of products, it is not smart
possibility of a return into account when purchasing products. to just focus on this. A good returns procedure will reduce the
Moreover, most online shoppers consider potentially more risk for the consumer and can increase satisfaction. European
expensive returns (86%) and uncertainty about returns (84%) as consumers want to know what can be expected of the return
a barrier to purchasing cross-border. procedure and also to have options. For online retailers selling
cross-border, it is therefore never been more important to
We asked European consumers what they expect from a provide a seamless return process and communicate these pro-
returns service when ordering online from abroad. According cesses clearly to their consumers. Even more important how-
to European consumers, a good return procedure consists of a ever, is to prevent customers from needing to return an item in
number of elements. These are: returns free of charge, a return the first instance: prevention is always better than a cure. ••
label printed and included in the parcel, easy to reuse original
packaging for returns, track and trace of returns, returns at a
collection point nearby and a direct refund upon postal recep-
tion. It is also important to provide an extended period of time
for consumers to return their orders. It turns out that European
“Do you want to gain insight into what European consumers value when
consumers expect the return period of a purchase to be at least
returning products? Download ‘The New Standard of International Returns’
two weeks.
whitepaper by B2C Europe and find interesting facts and figures on European
consumer behaviours - the reasons for returns, consumer expectations, the
Preventing the return
power of returns, how to prevent returns, and much more.
In addition to developing a good return procedure, e-tailers can
Download it now at www.b2europe.eu/new/international-returns-report-2019
also try to ensure that consumers are less likely to return their
ordered product, in order to reduce costs. It is important that

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