Consumer Empowerment in Devon: How Free Returns Can Impact Shopping Habits

Across the whole country, people enjoy purchasing products they love online and in store, and many have the expectation that they can return products for free if they do not fit. This is especially true with clothing retail brands, due to the nature of clothes either not fitting customers, or are not suitable.

In counties like Devon that are more rural than urban areas like London and Bristol, customers are more likely to purchase from online ecommerce stores such as ASOS and Next, due to the ability to easily send back items due to the lack of brick and mortar stores close to them. Of course, for people living close to Devon cities like Exeter, this doesn’t apply. 

However, almost 2 in 5 online clothing stores are now charging for returns. If more stores change their policy charging for returns, customers based in rural locations in Devon may be more likely to shop in independent local town shops instead, bringing less business to popular ecommerce brands. However, this will increase valued purchases for local community highstreets. 

Another area that varies between retailers is the cooling off period. WMS software provider Orderflow decided to research the length of the ‘cooling off’ period, as well as the number of the top 100 fashion ecommerce brands that offer free online returns. The top 100 sites were taken from Google to gain a strong perspective on the top brands in the sphere. 

61% of fashion ecommerce brands still offer free returns

Devon residents will be pleased to see that almost 61% of ecommerce online clothing websites still offer free returns, including brands like ASOS, New Look and Very. Some of these brands like River Island and Next also offer free returns but also have highstreet stores, which is good for Devon residents. 

The data collected shows that almost 2 in 5 (39%) of the analysed companies no longer offer free online returns for their websites, including brands such as House of Fraser and John Lewis. 

Time frame for returns vary from store to store

The time frame for returns also seems to vary, according to the research. The data shows that 28 days is the most common return period, and 100 days is the longest return period. Some stores on the other hand only offer the statutory 14 days which is required by the Consumer Contracts regulation, so the difference across brands can be quite different. 

What does this mean for Devon residents? 

Despite a number of well known fashion stores no longer offering free returns, the good news is many are still offering free returns to their customers, with a sensible timeframe to return products. However, a reduction in the number of ecommerce fashion brands may benefit independent Devon shops. 

For example, well loved Devon town Totnes is well known for its fairtrade status and a very independent vibe with its independent stores, selling a variety of products including clothes, jewellery and fresh food. 

Overall, we hope this article has helped bring insight as to how certain ecommerce brands are changing their policy on free returns.