{"id":39051,"date":"2025-01-07T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T08:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.striped-giraffe.com\/?p=39051"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:21:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T12:21:03","slug":"towards-sustainable-e-commerce-unctad-recommendations-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.striped-giraffe.com\/en\/blog\/towards-sustainable-e-commerce-unctad-recommendations-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Towards sustainable e-commerce:<\/nobr> UNCTAD recommendations (part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Reducing return rates with technological solutions<\/h1>\n

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The rapid growth of e-commerce has been accompanied by a rise in product returns, the rates of which tend to be much higher for online shopping than for in-store purchases, the latest UNCTAD report on the digital economy points out.<\/h3>\n

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Environmental impact of returns<\/h2>\n

Nowadays, returns are a standard aspect of retail, often safeguarded by consumer protection laws worldwide. However, the return process poses serious environmental challenges. These are due to the use and choice of return packaging and labelling, reconditioning, storing as well as additional transportation required to pick up, sort, repack and redistribute products, especially if return centers are far away from the customer\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

In addition, many returned products frequently end up as waste, despite being new. High costs of restocking and refurbishing often make it uneconomical to return these products to the sales cycle, resulting in their discarding or even destruction.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_single_image image=”39044″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

A global view of returns<\/h2>\n

Evidence suggests that online shopping fuels higher return rates compared to traditional retail. For instance, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), in the U.S., online returns reached 17.6% in 2023. In contrast, the return rate for brick-and-mortar purchases was significantly lower at 10.02%, excluding instances where online orders are returned in-store (often termed as BORIS \u2013 Buy Online, Return In-Store).<\/p>\n

In Europe, Switzerland had the highest return rate per online buyer in 2023, at 62%, according to the Statista Consumer Insights survey. Germany closely followed with 55%, and the United Kingdom completed this podium with 54% of returned products. In France and Spain, this rate was slightly lower, at 46% and 44%, respectively.
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Technology for reducing returns<\/h2>\n

Digital tools can help e-commerce businesses manage and minimize returns. In this regard, UNCTAD recommends two key actions:<\/p>\n