{
  "title": "Ecommerce Returns Statistics 2026: Return Rates, Totals and Fraud",
  "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/",
  "updated": "2026-10-29",
  "licence": "https://statisticsglobal.org/data-licence/",
  "attribution": "Source: [publisher] via StatisticsGlobal (https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/)",
  "statistics": [
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-online-rate-2025",
      "sentence": "US retailers expected 19.3% of online sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 19.3,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-online-rate-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2025",
      "sentence": "US retailers expected shoppers to return $849.9 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 849.9,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-online-returns-value",
      "sentence": "US shoppers returned an estimated $238 billion of online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau and National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 238.1,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "source_title": "E-Commerce Retail Sales, not seasonally adjusted (ECOMNSA), via FRED",
      "source_url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ECOMNSA",
      "source_published": "updated 18 August 2026",
      "archive_url": "",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "Census 2025 e-commerce sales of $1,233.7 billion x NRF online return rate of 19.3% = $238.1 billion. An estimate: NRF's rate comes from large retailers ($500 million+ revenue) and Census e-commerce covers all retailers.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-online-returns-value"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-online-gap",
      "sentence": "The US online return rate of 19.3% was 22% higher than the 15.8% overall rate in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 22.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "19.3 / 15.8 = 1.2215, so 22.2% higher. The gap is 3.5 percentage points. NRF separately reported in October 2024 that online return rates were 21% higher than overall rates.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-online-gap"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ratio-genz",
      "sentence": "Gen Z shoppers returned about 25.3% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 25.3,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "7.7 average online returns / 30.4 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.2533. Both figures are self-reported averages from the same survey.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ratio-genz"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-rate-2025",
      "sentence": "US retailers expected 15.8% of their total annual sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 15.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-rate-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-cen-ecom-share",
      "sentence": "E-commerce made up 16.7% of US retail sales in the fourth quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.",
      "value": 16.7,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Official",
      "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "source_title": "Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2nd Quarter 2026",
      "source_url": "https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf",
      "source_published": "18 August 2026",
      "archive_url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261001023521/https://www.census.gov/retail/mrts/www/data/pdf/ec_current.pdf",
      "sample": "Monthly and annual retail surveys of US retail firms; seasonally adjusted, not adjusted for price changes",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-cen-ecom-share"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ecom-2025",
      "sentence": "US e-commerce retail sales totalled about $1.234 trillion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau data.",
      "value": 1233.7,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "source_title": "E-Commerce Retail Sales, not seasonally adjusted (ECOMNSA), via FRED",
      "source_url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ECOMNSA",
      "source_published": "updated 18 August 2026",
      "archive_url": "",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "Sum of the four not seasonally adjusted quarterly estimates for 2025 (millions of USD): 275,715 + 293,140 + 299,717 + 365,160 = 1,233,732. Q2 to Q4 match the Census release of 18 August 2026.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ecom-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-online-share-of-returns",
      "sentence": "Online purchases made up about 28% of the value of US retail returns in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from U.S. Census Bureau and National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 28,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "U.S. Census Bureau",
      "source_title": "E-Commerce Retail Sales, not seasonally adjusted (ECOMNSA), via FRED",
      "source_url": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/ECOMNSA",
      "source_published": "updated 18 August 2026",
      "archive_url": "",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "Estimated online returns of $238.1 billion (Census e-commerce x NRF 19.3%) / NRF total returns of $849.9 billion = 0.280.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-online-share-of-returns"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-online-2023",
      "sentence": "US shoppers returned 17.6% of online purchases, worth $247 billion, in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 17.6,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2023",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "NRF and Appriss Retail report $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023",
      "source_url": "https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "source_published": "26 December 2023",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260831050436/https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "sample": "Appriss Retail transaction data from its retail clients (60 of the top 100 US retailers) plus a retailer survey. Method differs from other NRF years",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-online-2023"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-instore-2023",
      "sentence": "US shoppers returned 10.02% of purchases made in bricks-and-mortar stores in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 10.02,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2023",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "NRF and Appriss Retail report $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023",
      "source_url": "https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "source_published": "26 December 2023",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260831050436/https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "sample": "Appriss Retail transaction data from its retail clients (60 of the top 100 US retailers) plus a retailer survey. Method differs from other NRF years",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-instore-2023"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-holiday-2025",
      "sentence": "US retailers expected 17% of holiday sales to be returned in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 17,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-holiday-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-gift-returns",
      "sentence": "82% of US online returners said they would return unwanted holiday gifts within one month in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 82,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-gift-returns"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2024",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $890 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 890,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2024",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2024"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-rate-2024",
      "sentence": "US retailers put their annual return rate at 16.9% of sales in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 16.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2024",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-rate-2024"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-total-change",
      "sentence": "US retail returns fell 4.5% in value from $890 billion in 2024 to $849.9 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": -4.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "(849.9 - 890) / 890 = -0.0451, so -4.5%. A fall of $40.1 billion. Both figures are retailer projections from NRF and Happy Returns surveys.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-total-change"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-rate-change",
      "sentence": "The US retail return rate fell 1.1 percentage points from 16.9% in 2024 to 15.8% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": -1.1,
      "unit": " points",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "15.8% (2025) - 16.9% (2024) = -1.1 percentage points.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-rate-change"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2022",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $816.8 billion at a 16.5% return rate in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 816.8,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2022",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2022"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2021",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $760.8 billion at a 16.6% return rate in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 760.8,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2021",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2021"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2020",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $428 billion at a 10.6% return rate in 2020, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 428,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2020",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2020"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2019",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $309 billion at an 8.1% return rate in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 309,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2019",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "Retailer estimates from annual NRF returns surveys. NRF says its 2023 study used a different method and is not comparable",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2019"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-since-2019",
      "sentence": "The value of US retail returns rose 2.75 times from $309 billion in 2019 to $849.9 billion in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 2.75,
      "unit": "x",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "849.9 / 309 = 2.7505. The return rate rose from 8.1% to 15.8% (15.8 / 8.1 = 1.95 times). NRF did not publish a comparable 2023 figure.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-since-2019"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-total-2023",
      "sentence": "US retail returns totalled $743 billion, 14.5% of sales, in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 743,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2023",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "NRF and Appriss Retail report $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023",
      "source_url": "https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "source_published": "26 December 2023",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260831050436/https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "sample": "Appriss Retail transaction data from its retail clients (60 of the top 100 US retailers) plus a retailer survey. Method differs from other NRF years",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-total-2023"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-total-2025",
      "sentence": "US shoppers returned $706 billion of merchandise in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 706,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-total-2025"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-nrf-vs-appriss",
      "sentence": "NRF put 2025 US returns $143.9 billion, or 20%, higher than Appriss Retail did, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail data.",
      "value": 143.9,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "NRF and Happy Returns projection of $849.9 billion - Appriss Retail figure of $706 billion = $143.9 billion. 849.9 / 706 = 1.204, so 20.4% higher.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-nrf-vs-appriss"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-returns-genz",
      "sentence": "Gen Z shoppers made an average of 7.7 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 7.7,
      "unit": " returns",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-returns-genz"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-returns-millennials",
      "sentence": "Millennial shoppers made an average of 7.1 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 7.1,
      "unit": " returns",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-returns-millennials"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-returns-genx",
      "sentence": "Gen X shoppers made an average of 6.5 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 6.5,
      "unit": " returns",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-returns-genx"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-returns-boomers",
      "sentence": "Baby Boomer shoppers made an average of 4.8 online returns in the past 12 months in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 4.8,
      "unit": " returns",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-returns-boomers"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ratio-millennials",
      "sentence": "Millennial shoppers returned about 21.2% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 21.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "7.1 average online returns / 33.5 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.2119.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ratio-millennials"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ratio-genx",
      "sentence": "Gen X shoppers returned about 18.6% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 18.6,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "6.5 average online returns / 35.0 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.1857.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ratio-genx"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ratio-boomers",
      "sentence": "Baby Boomer shoppers returned about 14.7% of their online purchases in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 14.7,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "4.8 average online returns / 32.6 average online purchases in the past 12 months = 0.1472.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ratio-boomers"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-genz-vs-boomers",
      "sentence": "Gen Z shoppers made 60% more online returns than Baby Boomers in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 60,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "7.7 average returns (Gen Z) / 4.8 (Baby Boomers) = 1.604, so 60% more.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-genz-vs-boomers"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-aov-genz",
      "sentence": "Gen Z shoppers had the highest average online order value of any generation at $208 in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 208,
      "unit": " USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-aov-genz"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-genz-bend-truth",
      "sentence": "66% of Gen Z online returners said bending the truth when making a return is sometimes acceptable in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 66,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-genz-bend-truth"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-genz-bend-gap",
      "sentence": "Gen Z online returners were 21 points more likely than all returners to accept bending the truth on returns in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 21,
      "unit": " points",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "66% of Gen Z returners - 45% of all returners = 21 percentage points.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-genz-bend-gap"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-free-returns",
      "sentence": "82% of US online returners said free returns are an important consideration when shopping online in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 82,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-free-returns"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-free-returns-change",
      "sentence": "The share of US online returners calling free returns important rose 6 points from 76% in 2024 to 82% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 6,
      "unit": " points",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "82% (2025) - 76% (2024) = 6 percentage points. Both figures are in the 2025 report.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-free-returns-change"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-check-policy",
      "sentence": "81% of US online returners said they check the return policy before shopping with a new online retailer in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 81,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-check-policy"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-poor-experience",
      "sentence": "71% of US online returners said a poor returns experience makes them less likely to shop with a retailer again in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 71,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-poor-experience"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-difficult-return",
      "sentence": "52% of US online returners said they will not buy at all if they expect a difficult return in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 52,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-difficult-return"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-ten-minutes",
      "sentence": "82% of US online returners said a return should take 10 minutes or less in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 82,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-ten-minutes"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-instant-refund",
      "sentence": "76% of US online returners preferred a return option with an instant refund or exchange in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 76,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-instant-refund"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fee-stop",
      "sentence": "57% of US online returners said they had stopped shopping with a retailer after being charged for a return in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 57,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fee-stop"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-fee-stop-change",
      "sentence": "The share of US online returners who stopped using a retailer over a return fee rose 17 points from 40% in 2024 to 57% in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 17,
      "unit": " points",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "57% (2025) - 40% (2024) = 17 percentage points. Both figures are in the 2025 report.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-fee-stop-change"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-refrained",
      "sentence": "47% of US shoppers said they had held back from a purchase because of return policy concerns in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 47,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-refrained"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-charge-fees",
      "sentence": "72% of large US merchants charged for at least one return option in 2025, up from 66% in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 72,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-charge-fees"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fee-lower-returns",
      "sentence": "53% of large US merchants that charge for returns saw lower overall return rates in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 53,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fee-lower-returns"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fee-complaints",
      "sentence": "47% of large US merchants that charge for returns saw more customer complaints in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 47,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fee-complaints"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fee-lost-customers",
      "sentence": "37% of large US merchants that charge for returns said they lost customers over return fees in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 37,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fee-lost-customers"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-outbound-choice",
      "sentence": "40% of large US merchants had to choose between shipping new orders and processing returns in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 40,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-outbound-choice"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-upgrade-priority",
      "sentence": "64% of large US merchants said upgrading their returns capabilities within six months was a priority in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 64,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-upgrade-priority"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-instore",
      "sentence": "In-store returns accounted for 81% of all US returns in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 81,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-instore"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-bisris",
      "sentence": "Items bought in store and returned in store made up 52% of US returns, $367 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 367,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-bisris"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-boris",
      "sentence": "Items bought online and returned in store made up 29% of US returns, $208 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 208,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-boris"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-boro",
      "sentence": "Items bought online and returned online made up 19% of US returns, $131 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 131,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-boro"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-ap-online-bought",
      "sentence": "Items bought online accounted for about $339 billion, or 48%, of US returns in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Appriss Retail data.",
      "value": 339,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "Bought online, returned in store ($208 billion) + bought online, returned online ($131 billion) = $339 billion. 339 / 706 = 0.480.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-ap-online-bought"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fraud-share",
      "sentence": "Large US merchants estimated that 9% of all returns were fraudulent in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 9,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fraud-share"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-fraud-value",
      "sentence": "Fraudulent returns were worth an estimated $76.5 billion in the US in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from National Retail Federation data.",
      "value": 76.5,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "NRF total returns of $849.9 billion x 9% fraud share = $76.5 billion. A rough estimate: the 9% comes from large merchants that track fraud and excludes bracketing and wardrobing.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-fraud-value"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-bend-rules",
      "sentence": "45% of US online returners said it is acceptable to bend the rules when returning items in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 45,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-bend-rules"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-costly-behaviour",
      "sentence": "62% of US online returners admitted at least one return behaviour that is costly to retailers or abuses return policies in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 62,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-costly-behaviour"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-bracketing",
      "sentence": "36% of US online returners said they had bought items intending to return some of them in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 36,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-bracketing"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-wardrobing",
      "sentence": "27% of US online returners admitted returning used items in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 27,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "2,006 US consumers who returned at least one online purchase in the past 12 months, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-wardrobing"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-ai-use",
      "sentence": "85% of large US merchants used AI or machine learning in their returns process to fight fraud in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns.",
      "value": 85,
      "unit": "%",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Happy Returns",
      "source_title": "2025 Retail Returns Landscape",
      "source_url": "https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "source_published": "October 2025",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260301102206/https://a-us.storyblok.com/f/1021220/x/6e22cae2b7/2025-retail-returns-landscape.pdf",
      "sample": "358 ecommerce professionals at US merchants with $500 million+ revenue, surveyed August to September 2025",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-ai-use"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-preventable",
      "sentence": "Fraud and abuse caused $100 billion of preventable loss, 14.2% of US returns, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 100,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-preventable"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-abuse",
      "sentence": "Returns abuse accounted for 12% of US returns, worth $86 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 86,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-abuse"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-ap-fraud",
      "sentence": "Returns fraud accounted for 2% of US returns, worth $14 billion, in 2025, according to Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 14,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Vendor report",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "Survey of 1,020 US adults who made at least one return in the past year (December 2025), plus transaction data across 250 million customer identifiers at Appriss Retail clients",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-ap-fraud"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-calc-abuse-vs-fraud",
      "sentence": "Returns abuse cost US retailers about 6.1 times as much as outright returns fraud in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Appriss Retail data.",
      "value": 6.1,
      "unit": "x",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2025",
      "source_type": "Our analysis",
      "publisher": "Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "2026 Total Retail Loss Benchmark Report",
      "source_url": "https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "source_published": "February 2026",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20261012165136/https://apprissretail.com/2026-total-retail-loss-benchmark-report/",
      "sample": "",
      "method": "Returns abuse $86 billion / returns fraud $14 billion = 6.14.",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-calc-abuse-vs-fraud"
    },
    {
      "id": "er-nrf-fraud-2023",
      "sentence": "Return fraud cost US retailers $101 billion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail.",
      "value": 101,
      "unit": " billion USD",
      "place": "United States",
      "data_year": "2023",
      "source_type": "Industry body",
      "publisher": "National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail",
      "source_title": "NRF and Appriss Retail report $743 billion in merchandise returned in 2023",
      "source_url": "https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "source_published": "26 December 2023",
      "archive_url": "http://web.archive.org/web/20260831050436/https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-and-appriss-retail-report-743-billion-merchandise-returned-2023",
      "sample": "Appriss Retail transaction data from its retail clients (60 of the top 100 US retailers) plus a retailer survey. Method differs from other NRF years",
      "method": "",
      "verified_on": "2026-10-29",
      "url": "https://statisticsglobal.org/ecommerce-returns-statistics/#stat-er-nrf-fraud-2023"
    }
  ]
}