We ship most of the packages back to the seller

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Order a parcel, try on the pants and send them back if they don’t fit. Many Swiss consumers do this. Swiss online shoppers returned 28 percent of all packages last year.

This means that Switzerland remains the European champion in returned parcels. This is demonstrated by the latest “E-Shopper Barometer” survey conducted regularly in 20 European countries by Geopost, parent company of parcel service provider DPD.

On average in Europe, only 14 percent of all parcels were returned, which is half that in Switzerland. In Belgium and the Netherlands, relatively high numbers of parcels are returned, over 20 percent. In the case of Portugal, only 6%.

Switzerland hasn’t always sent so many things back. It was still 8 percent in 2017 and only slightly more than the European comparison. Since then, the number of returns has more than tripled.

The rise of the rate again in 2022 shows that this is not a temporary phenomenon brought by the Corona period with the curfew.

Returns are getting harder and harder

But only 45 percent found it easy to return an order in 2022. This is 8 percent less than the previous year. One possible reason: More and more retailers – including major retailers – are charging a fee for returns.

At clothing giant H&M, everyone except members of the loyalty program in Switzerland pays 4.90 francs to send a parcel back. The amount will be deducted directly from the refund amount. Zara has also been receiving 2.95 francs for returns since last summer.

On the other hand, there are more and more ways to return a package. 38 percent of online shoppers no longer typically use a post office, but a takeout or post office box for this. For example, the Zalando package can also be delivered to the kiosk. In addition, the shipping giant still does not charge any return fees.

Still the same number of buyers

Unlike Europe, the number of buyers in Switzerland has remained stable since 2019. More than three-quarters of consumers in Switzerland, 54 percent, regularly shop online. Most online purchases – almost 90 percent – are made by regular online shoppers.

More than half buy clothes and shoes online. But beauty products and books are also popular. You are less interested in saving time than in saving money.

Source :Blick