Study: One-quarter of holiday gifts to be returned

According to Retale's data just over 60% of shoppers say they've gotten a gift card as a gift; about 76% say they'll redeem those cards in-stores.

Still, the big news is that so many gifts will be returned. About 30% of men say they'll be returning gifts while 20% of women said the same. Most (70%) will be returning in stores. Researchers also found that one-third of shoppers worry about keeping track of receipts for returns while 26% don't like the shipping/handling costs of returning gifts via mail and 20% get confused about return policies.

"No one likes exchanges," said Pat Dermody, President of Retale. "Retailers don't like them because a customer has been disappointed and they've lost a sale. Customers don't like them because they now have to take their time to return the merchandise. Over the years, retailers have taken steps to make the return process as easy as possible, including receipt-free returns and even curb side pick-up. Retailers have also gotten better at allowing customers to buy online and return in a physical store. They recognize the desire to move seamlessly from one channel to another and most have adjusted their processes to be able to make that happen for customers."

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Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce returns, ecommerce trends, retail trends, Retale