As figures show that footfall on Britain’s high streets fell during the post-Christmas sales period, new data reveals that order returns rose significantly in 2022 as inflation and the cost-of-living began to bite. Retail returns in the traditional Christmas shopping period were up 57 per cent on the year before, with returns also rising 16 per cent globally. UK order returns were up by a quarter (26 per cent) between Christmas and the new year, compared with 2021.
The data, from parcelLab, reveals that UK and global shoppers’ appetite for flexible returns policies is not slowing down. Of the nearly three million parcels returned to British retailers in 2022, over 350,000 were sent back between Black Friday and Christmas, and over 50,000 were sent back between Christmas and New Year’s Day. This comes despite a recent parcelLab study revealing that 25 per cent of top UK retailers are now charging for order returns, up 14 per cent from last year.
The ongoing industrial action within the UK postal sector was also the cause of headaches for UK retailers and shoppers alike: late deliveries between Black Friday and Christmas rose by one third (33 per cent) this year compared to 2021. The increase in late deliveries was not just limited to the festive shopping period, however. Over 14 million UK deliveries arrived late in 2022 compared to just 5.2 million in 2021.
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