Pursuits
Online Surge Means Many Not-So-Happy Returns for Retailers
- Shoppers send back 30% of clothes, shoes bought on Internet
- Free shipping, reprocessing merchandise increase expenses
Retailers Feel the Pain From Holiday Sales Returns
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A surge in online sales this holiday season is boosting expenses for some retailers as more shoppers return merchandise purchased with the click of a mouse.
Consumers are expected to return $62 billion in goods bought between November and December, up 8 percent from the same period last year, with about a third of those items purchased online, according to retail-research firm Customer Growth Partners. Online sales increased 20 percent this holiday season, figures from MasterCard Advisors show.