Forter reports 52% of clients abusing return policies to get more for their money

Following this announcement, the new report launched by Forter shows that clients also prefer to never buy from a retailer again if it doesn’t have a policy they can abuse, as, in their opinion, businesses are now making it so easy to abuse the system and get free stuff. These customers represent 18% of the surveyed individuals.

Included in the top ways clients are bending the rules set by businesses are deliberately sending the wrong items back (6%), buying in bulk in order to avoid delivery costs (22%), creating their own unauthorised `try before you buy` service through bulk purchasing and free returns (21%), abusing flexible return policies to try or wear expensive items they couldn’t otherwise afford (31%), and creating multiple online accounts  with the same retailer in order to receive promotions and perks (12%). 

More information on Forter’s new report findings

According to the official press release, an alarming factor shown by the report is that seven in ten of the 2.000 UK and 2.000 US consumers believe it’s the retailers at fault for making it easy to abuse flexible return policies. 58% of them also say retailers make it easy to open multiple accounts to take advantage of promotions. At the same time, the process of identifying money represents the key driver, as over a quarter (29%) of shoppers who have taken advantage of firms’ policies when shopping online in the last 12 months admitted to doing so in order to avoid paying full price.

Furthermore, as the cost-of-living crisis has had a marked impact on shoppers’ relationships with retailers, nearly half (49%) of UK users buy more from retailers with lenient return policies due to several financial concerns. A quarter of those surveyed, representing 25% of them, also cited rising costs due to inflation as a motivator, with almost two-thirds (63%) of UK consumers relying on retailers’ promotions and free perks more now than in the past as well. 

At the moment, retailers and merchants face a delicate balancing act of maintaining customer loyalty without exposing their business to more risk. At the same time, the new research launched by Forter also reveals that overly restrictive policies can have serious unintended consequences for the business, as more consumers and clients are currently seeking convenience and affordability when shopping online.