Nearly two-thirds of consumers say a retailer’s return policy has caused them to abandon a purchase or stop shopping with a brand.
Return fees influence the shopping behavior of 92% of consumers, while 58% routinely check return policies before buying online.
Retailers face a balancing act: making returns easy enough to keep customers while combating growing levels of return fraud and abuse.
For online shoppers, a store's return policy is no longer something to think about after making a purchase. Increasingly, it's helping determine whether consumers make the purchase at all.
New research from ecommerce operations platform Loop found that 63% of U.S. consumers have stopped shopping with a retailer or abandoned a purchase because of its return policy.
Nearly six in 10 — 58% — said they always or often check a retailer's return policy before making an online purchase.
That puts retailers in a difficult position. Consumers increasingly expect convenient returns, but processing those returns can be expensive, and retailers say fraud and abuse are adding to the cost.
Loop commissioned independent research among 1,000 U.S. consumers who had made an online return during the previous six months and 200 retail decision-makers responsible for ecommerce return strategies. The survey was conducted online by Sapio Research in May and June 2026.
Return fees can change what consumers buy
One of the clearest findings involves return fees. The survey found that 92% of consumers said return charges affect their online shopping behavior in some way.
Nearly half, 46%, said fees make them more careful about what they purchase.
But that doesn't necessarily mean consumers demand free returns in every circumstance. More than a third — 36% — said they would be willing to pay a return fee in exchange for what they considered a more premium return experience.
The findings suggest retailers may have some flexibility in charging for returns, provided the process is convenient and consumers understand the policy before buying.
Returns have become part of online shopping
The study also shows how consumers increasingly shop with the expectation that some purchases will go back.
Three in 10 consumers said they have deliberately ordered multiple sizes or styles knowing they would return some of them. Another 33% said they had briefly worn an item that didn't meet expectations and then returned it.
That practice, sometimes called "bracketing" when shoppers order several versions of an item, can make online shopping easier for consumers but creates additional shipping, handling and inventory costs for retailers.
Returns can also affect customer loyalty. Sixty-five percent of retailers surveyed said the return experience has a significant impact on customer loyalty.
Retailers appear reluctant to make their policies much tougher. Fifty-six percent said they worry that tightening return rules could drive customers away, while 57% expressed concern about negative reactions on social media or public forums.
Retailers are also battling return fraud
Making returns easier carries another risk: abuse.
Forty-four percent of consumers surveyed acknowledged that they had at some point given a reason for returning an item that wasn't completely accurate. More strikingly, 31% admitted substituting another item for the original product when making a return.
Retailers report seeing the problem firsthand. Sixty-two percent said false claims involving damaged or missing products are among the most common forms of return fraud they encounter. Fifty-four percent said they regularly encounter customers returning a different or damaged product, and 38% reported dealing with "wardrobing" — purchasing clothing, wearing it and then returning it.
Despite those problems, technology isn't yet doing most of the policing. Only 43% of the retailers surveyed use fraud-detection tools, while just 19% use artificial intelligence or machine-learning technology to identify suspicious returns. Half still rely on manual reviews.
What consumers should do before buying
The findings provide another reason for consumers to check the fine print before placing an online order. Return policies can vary significantly in the amount of time allowed, whether return shipping is free, whether opened products are eligible and whether consumers receive a refund or store credit.
Shoppers should also pay particular attention when buying sale or clearance merchandise, since some retailers designate those purchases as final sale.
For retailers, meanwhile, returns have become more than a post-sale customer service issue. The Loop survey suggests that a confusing, expensive or restrictive return policy can prevent the sale from happening in the first place — while an overly generous policy can expose the company to higher costs and fraud.
That means the return policy, once buried in the fine print at the bottom of a retailer's website, is increasingly becoming part of the shopping decision itself.