According to returns management company ZigZag Global, 80% of UK customers checked an online retailer’s returns policy before making a purchase last year. Some 42% chose not to buy an item because of it.

ZigZag Global has published these and other insights from its Retail Returns Study to help the industry understand the impact of poor returns policies on client retention.

According to the research, three reasons are considered to make a returns policy good:

– Free returns ranked first according to 78% of respondents
– Fast refunds (66%)
– Not needing to print a label ranked third with 45%

Other essential factors included tracking items through the process and having multiple options how to return an item.

Though a poor returns policy could lose 59% of customers, an easy one would encourage 81% to shop again.

“With one third of consumers purchasing an item with the intention of returning – rising to over 40% for younger shoppers – the hurdles of retail returns need to be removed, returns need to be made easier for customers and retailers alike,”  says Al Gerrie, Founder and CEO of ZigZag Global. “It’s about reducing cost, waste and friction associated with returns through automated, technology-first solutions that allow retailers to be more profitable and sustainable, which in turn will drive long-term customer loyalty.”