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As we enter the festive period, and the busiest time of the year for retail, Hermes considers how retailers can best manage their returns
We have now reached that exciting time of the year when we are surrounded by early festive cheer. The Christmas work party details are being finalised, children are busy scribbling out the letters to Santa Claus, and we wait with baited breath for the first playing of the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York.
This is also the time of year when retailers go into overdrive: Supermarkets begin stocking mountains of mince pies; we eagerly anticipate who will win the favourite Christmas TV advert of the year; and we are constantly reminded that there are now only a handful of shopping days remaining before Christmas!
Online dominance
However, it looks as though more people will be avoiding the frantic high street this Christmas and turning to online channels in order to buy presents for their loved ones. Research agency Mintel claimed earlier this year that online sales in December will grow by 13% against 2013 levels to £4.7bn, with a quarter of Brits saying they will be shopping more online this Christmas.
As retailers are fine-tuning their websites ahead of the peak season, it is crucial for them to ensure they have an efficient returns process in place. As more products are sold, it is guaranteed that more items will be returned, whether that is a result of ill-fitting clothes, duplicates or unwanted gifts.
Customers want free and reliable returns
Our latest research into international online shopping trends, The 2014 Parcel Deliveries Usage and Attitude Survey, which quizzed 2,000 UK shoppers and a further 1,000 from both France and Germany, revealed some fascinating insights for retailers to consider. A free and reliable returns service is what consumers across all three countries want as it was deemed by far the “most appealing feature” when it came to delivery services (around 25%).
Our research found that German shoppers enjoy the most efficient returns process, with three out of four shoppers claiming that returns are easy. British retailers have to play catch-up with only two thirds of consumers finding the returns process stress-free. However, they are streets ahead of the French who recorded just 51%.
When we examine the UK trends surrounding returns, it comes as no surprise to tell you that 54% were the result of clothes that did not fit. Meanwhile, 27% of Brits returned items because they did not like them when they arrived. Interestingly, this supports the fact that nearly half of Brits (44%) blamed retailers for the high levels of returns, stating that if the product information was clearer online they would not need to return as many items as they do.
News ways to return
In a bid to streamline the returns process, Hermes launched its 3 Clicks Returns Service earlier this year, which allows customers to manage their returns quicker than ever before. This latest innovation is in response to increasing demand from consumers for a fast and simple way to return unwanted items, and is also part of the company’s commitment to drive value for its retail customers. By logging on to www.hermesparcelreturn.co.uk, consumers can organise their returns in just three clicks, before choosing to send the items via Hermes’ 3-day courier delivery or 2-day myHermes ParcelShop drop-off service.
A cost effective and efficient returns service is critical for retailers wanting to provide their customers with the very highest levels of service, especially during the peak season. Exceeding expectations in this area will help to drive new and repeat sales into 2015 and beyond.
- Mark Pettit, sales & marketing director at Hermes
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