The gifting is done. Some were successful, others less so the wrong color, size, redundant, too impulsive, not suitable for re-gifting. US consumers return about 20% of all online purchases and the post-holiday period is when the massive, but often unseen, returns logistics industry the reverse supply chain goes into overdrive.
According to the National Retail Federation, US consumers returned more than $816bn worth of retail merchandise in 2022, up 7% from a record $761bn a year earlier, and more than the US defense budget.
On top of that, issues including bracketing, when shoppers buy multiple sizes of the same item and only keep one, or wardrobing, where shoppers buy things to wear once and then return, shoplifted or stolen merchandi…
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/27/what-happens-online-shopping-returns-waste-wardrobing-envirnoment-impact