U.S. e-commerce returns have surged since the pandemic, and may see a downward inflection point this year

According to the latest report from eMarketer, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping in the United States has increased and retailers have implemented free returns, driving a surge in e-commerce returns. In 2020, the volume of e-commerce returns in the United States more than doubled and increased by 24.7% in 2021.

However, since the start of 2022, U.S. e-commerce returns have fallen 2.5% while total e-commerce sales have increased 9.6%, which may mark a turning point.

eMarketer predicts that the growth of e-commerce returns will slow down starting in 2023, but the volume of e-commerce returns in the United States will be higher than before the pandemic until at least 2026.

The study noted that retailers are improving online product information and the emergence of technologies such as augmented reality will help reduce returns. At the same time, consumers are gradually returning to in-store shopping, which is helping to slow the growth of online returns.

Online channels are increasing their share of U.S. retail returns

As e-commerce sales increase their share of the U.S. retail market, e-commerce returns will also increase their share of retail returns.

Currently, e-commerce sales account for only about 15% of total retail sales in the United States, but more than one-third of retail returns in the United States come from e-commerce sales. It is estimated that the total amount of retail returns in the United States will reach 627.34 billion US dollars in 2023, equivalent to 8.5% of total annual sales.

At the same time, the transfer of high-return products such as fashion products to online sales will further increase the return rate of e-commerce. In 2022, more than 33% of clothing and accessories sales will come from e-commerce channels, and this proportion is expected to rise to 46.3% by 2026.

Regarding the number of people returning e-commerce purchases, eMarketer data shows that this number increased by more than 9% year-on-year in 2020 to 105.7 million. By 2026, this number is expected to slowly grow to around 113 million.

Editor✎ Ashley/

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