Most Returned Products Online
Items related to food and beverage and health, personal care, and beauty are among the fastest-growing consumer products in the United States, with total retail sales from these items set to grow this year.
Understanding what products are selling well allows you to leverage rising demand to boost business revenue. That said, knowing what the most returned products are is also useful, as you can tweak your sales strategy to lower your store’s return rates.
Here’s a breakdown of the most returned products online in the US.
Most returned products online: top 12
According to a recent study, clothing tops the list of the most returned products online. Nearly one in four (24%) US consumers say they have returned clothing items purchased online over the past year.
Bags and related accessories and shoes are the second-most returned products online, with 17% of consumers having sent back these items. This is followed by food and beverages. 14% of online shoppers say they have sent back items in this category.
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Rounding out the five most returned products online are accessories such as jewelry and sunglasses, which also have relatively high return rates. They have been given back by 13% of buyers.
Despite the high rates of return of these fashion-related products, the US fashion industry remains set to continue growing. Industry analysts projected that total revenue will rise by 2.1% in 2024 to more than $350 billion.
Four different categories tie in sixth place on this list ranking the most returned products online: consumer electronics (which includes televisions and smartphones), cosmetics and body care, furniture and household goods, and toys and baby products. As many as 11% of consumers say they have returned such items at least once over the past year. Incidentally, home and furniture currently has the highest cart abandonment rate across all industries, at more than 80%. In other words, more than four out of every five people add merchandise related to home and furniture to their shopping carts without checking out.
Books, movies, music, and games (which refers to the online purchase of physical products and excludes digital downloads), pet products, and sports and outdoor products complete the list of the most returned products online. One out of every 10 consumers in the US claim to have returned these items over the past 12 months.