We’ve received an interesting report looking at the type of clothing items that women tend to return. And while the data comes from Australia, it’s likely to be equally applicable to the UK, Europe and US.
birdsnest.com.au
The team behind birdsnest.com.au has analysed more than 85,000 of the returns it received last year and found that dresses and jumpsuits topped the list with each category having a 31% return rate.
Company founder Jane Cay said she’s not surprised at those categories being returned more often “given the variation in cuts and styles, alongside the fact that these items are higher stake pieces than other items of clothing”.
That was followed by jeans on 29%, and then swimwear with a 27% rate, which is also no surprise given its sizing challenges.
The retailer’s online returns are more than double those of purchases in-store, primarily due to the fact that e-shop pieces can’t be tried on before purchase, although the business’s unusual policy that allows customers to return clothes that aren’t right up to a year after purchase could skew the numbers compared to other retailers.
Coats meanwhile have a 24% return rate.
While that takes in the five most commonly returned items, digging deeper into the detail, birdsnest said the data also shows customers are more likely to return formalwear, with a return rate of 36%.
This is significantly higher than the return rates for ‘essentialwear’ (13%) and casualwear (23%), “suggesting that customers have higher expectations the more formal the event, which typically involves a larger investment, and a desire for the outfit to be perfect for the occasion”.
It also perhaps suggests something that many retailers found during the pandemic — casual, comfortable cuts are more forgiving and fit is less of an issue.
The company also said the return rate was also higher for sale items (26%) than for full-priced items (19%). Additionally, products with lower ratings were returned more frequently. Return rates for 1-star, 2-star and 3-star items were 26%, 30%, and 30%, respectively. By contrast, return rates for 4-star and 5-star products were lower, at 22% and 23%, respectively.
Unsurprisingly, items like jewellery and accessories had a low return rate of just 6%, “likely due to minimal sizing issues and having higher versatility when pairing with outfits”.
Last year, the company processed 85,510 returns worth A$8.28 million, representing 23.7% of items sold and 26.28% of total revenue. It said that only 11% of items sold in-store are returned.
