Survey: Consumers admit to taking advantage of return policies
Consumers say that retailers make it easy to abuse return policies – with many admitting to doing so themselves.
A new survey of over 4,000 respondents across the United States and United Kingdom from digital commerce platform Forter revealed that more than two-thirds (68%) of consumers in the two countries believe retailers make it easy to abuse flexible return policies.
Nearly half (49%) of those surveyed admit to abusing retailers' policies in the last 12 months, and of those who have taken advantage of companies' policies when shopping online in the last 12 months, 29% are turning to policy abuse to avoid paying full price.
Thirty-percent of U.S. & U.K. consumers say they exploit flexible return policies to wardrobe (the term for using and then returning a product) expensive items they couldn't otherwise afford. This number spikes to nearly half (46%) when looking at younger U.S. consumers and 48% of younger U.K. consumers aged 18-34.
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Nearly two-thirds (58%) of U.S. and U.K. consumers say that it's easy to open multiple online accounts with the same retailer to take advantage of promotions. One-fifth (21%) of consumers told Forter they have deliberately over-purchased to qualify for free shipping, with the intent to return the extra items.
Nearly half (48%) of U.S. and U.K. consumers are buying more from retailers with lenient return policies due to financial concerns. What's more, 63% of U.S. and U.K. consumers say they rely on retailers' promotions and free perks more now than in the past. However, 16% of U.S. and U.K. consumers report that they have stopped shopping with a retailer altogether because they made their return policy stricter.
"Policy abuse is costing retailers billions of dollars. While consumers react to economic shifts, becoming more intentional and savvier with their spending, retailers must adjust, too," said Ozge Ozcan, chief customer officer at Forter. "Our report found that a one-size-fits-all approach to any policy – whether it's returns, promotions or loyalty programs – will leave today's retailers exposed. Instead, by knowing who they're doing business with, retailers can strike the crucial balance between customer-friendly policies and protection against serial abuse."
The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Forter between March 20-24, 2025, among adults ages 18+ in the U.K. (2,026) and the U.S. (2,010).
