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~ B2C Europe ~

mon place for information on returns to be readily available. ing for preparing and sending back their item. In fact, more
Ease of returns is now commonly advertised and used as a way consumers expect this as a standard service (55%) compared to
to increase conversions at checkout. the previously mentioned track and trace service.

Th e New Standard Th ough this fi gure has only risen 5% in the past 3 years, there was
We live in an age where an individual’s experience of a returns also another rise of 5% in the percentage of consumers who see
process is not always kept between them and the retailer. Th e this as an added value service. Th is means that there is a steady
consumer has multiple public platforms on which to share these incline of consumers who consider this as an important detail in
experiences, whether it be a post on a social media platform or their returns experience. Th is is most likely due to two factors:
submitting an online rating and review. Prospective customers are consumer convenience and environmental awareness. Being able
often infl uenced by the reviews of their fellow online shoppers to reuse the packaging not only saves the customer time and
and their experience of returning an item often holds just as much money off purchasing new packaging, but also caters to those con-
weight on consumers’ opinions as the quality of the product itself. sumers who are conscious of waste and want to recycle and reuse.

Online retailers must constantly improve this aspect of the con- Choice is convenience
sumer experience in order to ensure that the expected ‘standard’ While the aforementioned services and policies can be consid-
returns process is at least met, if not exceeded. Consumer re- ered to be the ‘new standard’ of an international return with the
search focuses on various services and added value services often majority of consumers agreeing they should be a standard off ering.
off ered as part of an online retailers return policy and processes. Th ere are some other areas where things aren’t so clear, one of
them being the consumer’s preferred return method. In the most
• Free Returns recent survey, 47% of European consumers said they preferred to
A constant hot topic when talking about returns is if they return an item via a post offi ce, followed by 34% choosing a local
should be free of charge to the consumer. While diff er- retail or drop off point and 19% opting for locker boxes.
ing product categories often have diff erent policies, 68% of
European consumers said they feel this should be off ered In certain markets, however, the post offi ce is not always the
as standard, a rise from 59% in 2015. Most notably, French clear favourite. France is a standout example of this, with more
consumers had the biggest shift in attitude, rising from 53% than 60% of consumers opting to choose either returns via locker
in 2015 to 70% in 2018. boxes or local retail and drop off points.

While a free international returns policy is not always an op- Overall, this relatively even split poses problems to retailers; how
tion for many global retailers, it should be considered where do they cater for all consumers preferences? Giving consumers
possible or at the very least in circumstances where the wrong choice is key to satisfying the majority. More retailers are now
product arrived or if the product is faulty or damaged. Alter- off ering a combination of all of these returns methods to their
natively, if the customer is required to pay for returns then customers, a trend that is likely to continue.
retailers should, as a minimum, off er returns to a domestic
address to minimise the cost to the consumer. Getting it right
Achieving the right formula in e-commerce is always a balancing
• Track and Trace act. When it comes to returns, this is no diff erent. Meeting all con-
Th e international consumer, especially those in mature e-com- sumer demands is virtually impossible and always costly. However,
merce markets, often assume to be kept up to date with the out- returns remain an element of this formula that must not be ignored
bound delivery of a parcel, whether this is via SMS, email alerts or sacrifi ced to save costs. Keeping up with the changing behaviours
or tracking through a website. Th is assumption is now spilling and expectations of international consumers, on returns especially,
over to the return journey of a parcel too. Th e recent fi gures will prevent a returns service falling behind the times or dropping
show that more than half (52%) of European online shoppers below the standards set by today’s online shopper.
now expect, as standard, track and trace on their return. Th is
fi gure has jumped from 39% in 2015, exhibiting the increasing Ultimately, a general understanding of these demands, together with
demand of consumers to be kept in the know at every stage of knowledge on local market preferences, as well as listening to feed-
their e-commerce experience. Italian and Dutch consumers are back from past customers, is vital to delivering a good returns experi-
two of the biggest infl uencers of this average rise, the percent- ence. Knowing what customers expect as standard and where value
age of consumers in 2018 who expect this, as standard, are 52% can be added will determine how positive their experience will be. ••
and 59% respectively: both countries have seen an increase of
21% in just three years. For more insights on international returns and what European consumers value
when returning products, download ‘The New Standard of International Returns’
• Reusable Packaging whitepaper by B2C Europe.
While not always at the forefront of many retailers’ minds, Eu- Download here: www.b2ceurope.eu/new/international-returns-report-2019/
ropean consumers still value and want easy-to-reuse packag-

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