Retailers’ return policies are increasingly shaping purchasing decisions, while shoppers are adopting more strategic returns behaviours when purchasing online, the latest research by commerce solutions provider, Rithum, suggests.

As returns become even more deeply ingrained in consumers’ online shopping journeys, original research of over 6,000 shoppers in its 2025 Global Returns Report showed that 60% had made a return in the past 12 months. Fashion remained the highest returning sector, with 68% of shoppers having sent back clothing purchases in the last year.

Consumers are increasingly adopting more strategic returns behaviours, the poll revealed, with over a third (36%) admitting to overbuying with the intention to send back items. Over-ordering indexes even higher in the under 35-year-old shopper cohort, with 50% regularly buying more items than they need with the intent to return.

“Returns are no longer a post-purchase afterthought – they’re shaping buying decisions,” Lou Keyes, CEO at Rithum, said.

Consumers are also increasingly using return policies as a deciding factor in where they shop, according to the report. Almost nine in ten (88%) expect free returns as a standard offering, while 41% actively consider return policies before making a purchase. A further half (47%) have even stopped shopping at a retailer because of unfavorable return policies.

“For brands and retailers, the return experience has become a critical business lever, not just a logistical function. The businesses that adapt can turn them from a cost center into a competitive advantage.”

Lou Keyes, CEO, Rithum

And, at the same time that consumers are becoming more strategically minded about sending back items, inaccurate product listings and product information is also fueling returns rates. Six in ten (61%) of consumers cite poor fit as the main reason for returning items, while a third (33%) returned products that didn’t match their online description or images.

“As consumers look to get more for their money, they want to trust that they’ll get what they paid for,” said Suzin Wold, CMO at Rithum. “When product content and return policies don’t match the actual experience, it breaks that trust. Today’s shoppers expect accurate, detailed listings – and anything less risks both returns and lost loyalty.”