Clothing & Shoes Are the Most Returned Online Purchases

One of the biggest challenges for online retailers is to keep return rates as low as possible. These days, many consumers have come to expect (hassle-)free returns, making them not only a possible differentiator versus other online shops but also a real cost factor for many businesses. According to a report by the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, retailers in the U.S. estimate that 16.9 percent of their annual sales in 2024 were returned, with average return rates for online sales even higher at around 20 percent. In total, the NRF estimates that U.S. consumers returned $890 billion worth of goods in 2024, which is a staggering amount, considering that the cost to process a return often amounts to a double-digit share of the item's original value.

Different retailers face different return rates, depending on the type of products they offer. Unsurprisingly, products depending on size and fit, e.g. clothing and shoes typically see higher return rates than things like furniture, books or consumer electronics. This is confirmed by Statista Consumer Insights data, which shows that clothing is by far the most frequently returned product category for U.S. online shoppers. 25 percent of respondents claimed to have returned clothing they bought online in the past 12 months, followed by shoes at 17 percent and accessories at 12 percent. 50 percent of respondents said that they hadn't returned a single online purchase in the past 12 months. While this sounds like a lot, it's important to note that 7 percent of respondents simply hadn't made an online purchase in the 12 months leading up to the survey, so they had nothing to return.