Icon: enlarge
Parcels in a shipping center: the return rate is falling
Photo:
Julian Stratenschulte / DPA
Although online retailers sent significantly more orders during the Corona crisis, the proportion of parcels returned is falling: According to a study by the University of Bamberg, the return rate has decreased from 17.8 to 15.9 percent.
In absolute terms, however, the number of returns is increasing - because nationwide, the number of parcels ordered and sent online in 2020 rose by more than 25 percent compared to 2019, according to an initial estimate by researchers after a survey of 103 online retailers in Germany.
According to a preliminary estimate, the number of returns in 2020 was 315 million parcels in Germany, compared to 301 million in 2019.
The online retailers surveyed for the study only cover part of the industry's turnover.
The reasons for the lower return rate: Customers had better informed themselves in advance and ordered as needed, said the head of the research group, Björn Asdecker.
"We call it the development from" I want to have "to" I need it now "purchases," says Oliver Prothmann, President of the Federal Association of Online Retailers.
"The buyer has a specific need and buys the product and uses it immediately." Another point: Older customers in particular, who normally prefer to shop locally, would rarely have returned a package.
Large online retailers particularly benefit from fashion and furniture
Retailers have benefited particularly in the areas of furnishings and fashion: According to the study, they sent 13.8 percent more parcels with fashion from March to August than in the same period of the previous year, but received 6.3 percent fewer returns.
Larger retailers in particular, such as Otto or Zalando, are reporting falling returns, while medium-sized and small companies, according to a survey by the retailers' association, recorded slightly more returns in lockdown.
According to its own statements, mail order company Otto received 30 percent more orders in 2020 compared to the previous year, while returns fell by five percent.
The reason: Customers who bought online for the first time and sent fewer items back would be more likely to order from well-known wholesalers, according to the Bamberg researchers.
Also, smaller businesses might have more problems with deliveries.
"Long delivery times ensure higher return rates, which is a well-documented effect," says Asdecker.
Icon: The mirror
caw / dpa