Young shoppers are over-buying, then becoming serial returners. As lifetime online shoppers, Gen Z is used to making returns when clothing doesn’t fit right or meet their expectations—but brands are starting to deter the habit. Due in no small part to haul culture on social media, retailers are seeing trends like over-ordering for size variety (“bracketing”), which 69% of Gen Z in the U.K. admit to doing. They’re also buying clothes just to show on socials, which the industry calls “staging,” or to be worn once (“wardrobing”), all returned in the end. To combat the expectation of constant returns some brands are charging return fees, going so far as to ban frequent returners, or offering loyalty benefits to customers who make few returns. They’re also trying to show the environmental downsides to returns. But some experts say this trend won’t end until fast fashion slows down; if clothing brands respond to quick trends, short-lived items will remain popular. (Vogue Business)
📊 YPulse data: 51% of 13-39-year-olds have bought clothing just to wear once
