Across Appriss Retail's 60 U.S. retail clients, total merchandise returns in 2024 were valued at $685 billion, and made up more than 13% of all sales.

The largest increase in returns came from cosmetics and personal care items, which saw a 36% year-over-year jump.

For consumer electronics and home appliance retailer Best Buy, washing waste of out of the system is an effort that has grown in ambition and scope.

Businesses are prioritizing agility, resiliency and sustainability, as they navigate rising transportation and freight costs, complexities in demand forecasting, and gaps in visibility. 

Retail returns involve real products and logistics, and as much as artificial intelligence promises to streamline things, it needs one crucial component: physical data.

Automation is transforming the mobile device industry, with a significant impact on consumers’ daily lives and the environment.

Serial returners, who make up 11% of shoppers, will send back an average of £1,400 of products each this year, totaling £6.6bn, the report found.

Last year, total losses from the practice amounted to $101.1 billion, causing a massive headache for retailers.

E-tailers have struggled to keep up with a flood of returns, and have often loosened rules for consumers making them.

Asos has cited the battle against high return rates as a significant part of its effort to cut costs, as it tries to boost profits.