– for every $1 billion in sales, the average retailer incurs $165 million in merchandise returns.
– for every $100 in returned merchandise accepted, retailers lose $10.40 to return fraud.
– half (50%) cited returns of used, non-defective merchandise, also known as wardrobing
– 41.4% cited the return of shoplifted or stolen merchandise. One-fifth (20%) attributed return fraud to organized retail crime.
– Of the more than $3.66 trillion in expected in-store sales, $603 billion will be returned. Approximately $62.1 billion of those returns, or 10.3%, are expected to be fraudulent.
– 44% of survey respondents indicated they planned to hire more staff to handle returns during the holiday season. Of that, most (71%) intend to add staff specifically for stores.
