Free returns encourage consumers to shop online

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - 09:00 by Graham Miller

If an e-commerce site is able to offer a free returns system to its customers, then it is more likely to click with a British audience, according to a new study conducted by Fits.me.

Conversely, should a site fail to give its customers of safe shopping online the option to return their unwanted products, free of charge, then it could end up losing out on their business.

Forty one per cent of those questioned in the study said that they actually purchase more than one size of the same garment when they are buying items online, with the idea being that they will be able to try them all on at home and return any products that do not fit.

Women are more likely to buy multiple sizes than men, although the reasons given for returning items of clothing are not always based around its fit or appearance.

Twenty five per cent said that they had sent an item of clothing back to a retailer because they did not like the feel of the material from which it was made.

Twelve per cent of those questioned said that they never used safe shopping online to buy fashion items, because they were concerned about purchasing a product before they had tried it on.

A much larger portion of those questioned, 61 per cent, said that they had often thought twice about buying clothes online for this very same reason, which perhaps explains the practice of purchasing multiple sizes.

Spokesperson, Heikki Haldre, said that Brits are not always content with the information that retailers provide about products that are for sale. This is a particular problem when considering items of clothing and the size information that comes with them.

The companies that want to encourage customers to shop online for clothes will have to offer better facilities and, at the very least, a free returns policy.