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Returning Online Apparel Purchases Less Common than In-store, Though Many Shoppers Admit to Bracketing
Asked how often they return online purchases, 33% said never, compared to 28% who said they never return in-store purchases, as the hassle of sending products back appears to lessen the likelihood of online returns.
How often do you return online/in-person apparel purchases?
Still, 34% of apparel shoppers say they’ve ordered multiple sizes and/or variations of apparel products in the last year in order to pick the best one and send the rest back. This practice, known as bracketing, is expensive for the websites and apps handling these returns.
In the past year, have you ordered multiple sizes and/or variations of an apparel item online in order to try them on and pick the one that fits/looks best, sending the rest back? (Share who responded yes)
Bracketing and making any type of apparel product return was most common among younger generations. Among Gen Z, 43% of respondents said they had ordered multiple sizes/variations of apparel in the past year with the intent to send some back. Just 21% of baby boomers said the same. A full 30% of Gen Z said they return about half or more of all of their online purchases.