Consumer product returns in omnichannel retail: drivers and interventions

Retailers aim to offer consumers a positive shopping experience, including convenient product returns. However, high return rates cause environmental damage and impact retailer profits. This study assesses the drivers of product returns and the impact of return policies and interventions on returns rates. Through semi-structured interviews with 40 experts in the UK and North America, we gained a deep understanding of product returns drivers and interventions at the intersection of retail operations and customer experience. Product returns are rarely conceptualised from a customer experience perspective, despite the consumer initiating the return. Addressing this theoretical anomaly, we adapt and extend the retail experience framework to include customer-focused factors alongside retailer-controlled elements pertaining to operations, products, as well as returns and refund policies and processes. Linking returns drivers to their root-causes at a strategic management level, our findings emphasise the importance of developing holistic strategies to reduce product returns, grounded in a comprehensive understanding of their underlying drivers.