Analysis of returns data from 25 - 31 December finds consumers in Norway make the most returns soon after Christmas
Festive gift-getters in the Nordics wasted little time in returning their unwanted Christmas presents, according to new data from nShift, the global leader in parcel delivery management software.
According to the analysis, consumers in Norway were the quickest when it came to returning unwanted gifts in 2022 with almost 8% of returns arranged for 26th December and a third (29%) arranging returns for Tuesday 27 December - the most, and earliest of countries in the Nordic region. Those in Denmark waited a further 24 hours before sending their gifts back. The most popular day for returns there was Wednesday 28 (30%). When it comes to taking more time with returns, Finland was the stand-out nation with one in 10 returns being made on 31 December.
While there was a steady stream of returns booked for after Christmas, a few consumers were even quicker off the mark. A small proportion of each region even began sending things back on Christmas Day (25th Dec) itself. Indeed, Sweden was the highest contributor here with 2% of returns being arranged for this day.
Philipp Goldberg, Product Director for Returns at nShift said, “The fact we’re seeing returns organized so soon after Christmas only reinforces the point that shoppers expect to be able to return products quickly and simply. How the returns process is communicated and managed is now a fundamental part of shopping and is especially important when people are buying a gift for someone else.”
nShift compiled these statistics by analyzing returns data from the last week of December 2022. By looking at which day of the week carrier companies were alerted of the need to collect an item, they were able to determine which days were the most popular for people to get the ball rolling. Across all Nordic regions, Wednesday 28 was the most popular day, with over a quarter (25.6%) of returns requests from the week generated during that day. This was closely followed by Thursday 29 (22.3%) and Tuesday 27 (22%).
Goldberg continued: “There is no doubt that retailers must offer a compelling returns policy and make it easy for both consumers and warehouses to operate. This means having the best process and systems in place is no longer a nice-to-have, but absolutely critical.”
nShift’s returns solution helps ease the administrative burden while ensuring a smooth, friction-free journey for customers looking to return their orders.
It enables customers to:
- Avoid handwritten return slips
- Re-convert 30% of returns to exchanges
- Keep customers up to date on return status
- Work in a data-driven way and analyze returns in real-time
- Always keep track of how many returns are en route to the warehouse
Find out more: www.nshift.com
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