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Some Gen Z shoppers are “serial returners.”

May 20 2026

Some Gen Z shoppers are “serial returners.” New research shows 53% of Gen Z shoppers identify as “serial returners”—those who purchase many items with the intent to return most of them—with the number making returns rising 38% over the past three years. Some retailers like ASOS and PrettyLittleThing are noticing and tightening return policies in response. Half of Gen Z say they’ve had an online shopping account suspended for returning too many items (+21pts higher than average shoppers across all age groups), while another 47% say they’ve received warnings about possible suspensions. Research from Ingrid, a delivery intelligence platform, shows 35% of brands in the U.K. now charge for returns, up 12% year-over-year. But some young shoppers are already finding workarounds: 14% say they bypass return fees altogether by reselling on secondhand marketplaces instead of formally returning them. (FashionNetwork)

👀 Read more from YPulse: How Young Europeans Shop: Online or IRL

 

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