Last year, the opening week of December saw the highest volume of customer returns on record, with an 80 per cent rise in items sent back after the Black Friday period. New figures from ReBound Returns, the omnichannel returns specialist that processes millions of parcels each Peak season, show that the first days of this December are following a similar pattern.
Black Friday on 28 November 2025 saw a record of 11.9 million transactions, according to Nationwide. ReBound’s specialists note that although shoppers make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers, a sizeable share of items is later returned. Earlier findings from ReBound, based on a YouGov survey of 2,000 consumers in October 2024, indicate that roughly one in three shoppers send back purchases made during these events.
In 2024, returns peaked on Monday 2nd December, coinciding with Cyber Monday. Many Black Friday deals were available earlier in the week, allowing orders to arrive and be returned quickly. Early data for 2025 shows a similar surge on Monday 1st December.
A second spike occurred in early January 2025, with returns rising 59 per cent on average, reflecting the impact of Christmas and Boxing Day purchases.
“Black Friday deals and holiday shopping drive larger baskets, but not every item is kept,” said Brian Cotter, Head of Customer Experience at ReBound Returns. “Shoppers decide quickly which items to return, often sending them back within days. For retailers, the challenge lies in quickly inspecting and processing returns for resale. A high volume of uninspected returns can sit in warehouses, off the shelves and out of circulation, resulting in lost sales opportunities during the critical countdown to Christmas.”
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