Moves by retailers to apply stricter policies over product returns are deterring global consumer spending, according to research from supply chain software vendor Blue Yonder.
That result came through loud and clear, with 84% of global respondents saying they will stop shopping at their favorite retailer if stricter returns policies are implemented, according to Dallas-based Blue Yonder’s “”2025 Global Consumer Retail Returns Survey.” The July survey polled over 6,000 consumers across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), France, Germany, the Middle East, and the U.K.
“These findings highlight the negative consumer attitudes toward tighter returns policies, with a majority of consumers continuing to make decisions on where to shop based on these policies,” Tim Robinson, senior vice president, commerce and returns, Blue Yonder, said in a release. “Across generations and regions, consumers are consistent in believing that returns restrictions are unfair and inconvenient to them, underscoring their expectation for an easy and hassle-free process.”
Across regions, consumers in the Middle East are most likely (75%) to be deterred from a purchase due to tighter returns restrictions, followed by France (70%), Germany (65%), the U.K. (63%), ANZ (62%) and the U.S. (59%). This trend is most notable among Millennials (74%) and Gen Z (71%), consistent with 74% and 76% in 2024, respectively.
Drilling into three specific returns strategies:
First, half (50%) of global respondents note that charging a fee to return a purchase is the most inconvenient element of tighter returns policies, but consumers are still generally willing to pay the price.
Second, retailers have also been pulling back on “keep it” returns, which became very common during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey showed a shift away from such policies—more than half (60%) of respondents have been told by a retailer to keep a product rather than undergo the returns process, down from 72% in 2024. Globally, respondents in the Middle East (73%) are told most frequently to keep a product rather than return it, followed by France (68%), Germany (67%), the U.S. (55%), the U.K. (50%), and ANZ (47%).
Third, over one-third (36%) of survey respondents stated they had a return rejected by a retailer within the last year. Across regions, the top three reasons for rejections by retailers were that the returns request fell outside of the return window (31%), the product was non-returnable (26%), and the consumer’s returns history precluded additional returns (20%).
And notably, those justifications for rejection do not match up with consumers’ reasons for sending the products back: 31% of global respondents noted that defective or damaged products were the main reason for requesting a return, followed by incorrect size or fit (27%, down significantly from 75% in 2024).
