The number of Gen Z shoppers branded as ‘serial returners’ has risen sharply, increasing +38 percentage points in just three years, according to new data from leading delivery intelligence platform, Ingrid. 

Original research of over 1,000 shoppers by Ingrid showed that 53% of Gen Z shoppers have been identified as serial returners, a 3.5-fold increase in just three years (rising from 15% in 2023).  

Half of Gen Z shoppers have had their online accounts suspended by a retailer for returning too many items, +21 percentage points higher than average shoppers across all age groups (32%), while a further 47% have also received warnings about account suspension owing to their returns behaviours. 

Traditional returns deterrents lose their bite

However, while retailers including ASOS and PrettyLittleThing are enforcing more robust returns policies, traditional deterrents, such as fees and account suspension, are becoming less effective.  

Almost two fifths (38%) of the shoppers polled by Ingrid said they are no longer put off by traditional returns deterrents, rising to 47% of Millennials.  Meanwhile, 14% of Gen Z said they actively try to bypass returns fees by selling items on second-hand marketplaces like Vinted, rather than going through the traditional returns channels or processes.

“What used to deter returns no longer works. Customers have adapted, and for many shoppers, returns are just part of online shopping and a layer of trust,” said Piotr Zaleski, Founder & CPTO of Ingrid. 

Offsetting returns without alienating customers

And these shifts are prompting retailers to rethink how they tackle reverse logistics and offset the rising cost of returns without alienating customers. 

57% of shoppers want retailers to use AI to flag if an item has a high return rate among similar shoppers before they checkout, and a rising number of shoppers also now want return fees to be calculated more dynamically. 

Almost a quarter (22%) say returns fees should be personalised depending on each customer’s individual returns propensity, and a further sixth (14%) say they should be charged less for returns if they send back items quickly, allowing brands to process and re-merchandise the item ready for re-sale. 

The role of returns personalisation

Separate research of 100 UK retailers within Ingrid’s Return Economics Report showed that 35% of brands now charge for returns, up +12 percentage points year-on-year (YoY). 

Yet few are implementing returns personalisation, such as dynamic terms which offer customers different conditions based on their buying history and past returns behaviour. 

Reliable customers, for instance, who purchase often and return infrequently, could be offered lowered charges, waived fees or extended returns windows, while shoppers with high returns propensities face steeper charges. 

“Retailers obsess over personalisation before checkout, but they need to apply the same thinking to returns,” Zaleski added. “Dynamic, AI-led returns policies help reward reliable customers while managing costs from serial returners.”