Buchs, March 2023. Switzerland is defending its status as European champion when it comes to returning products purchased online. Last year, online shoppers returned 28 percent of parcels to the sender. The rate of returns is still on the rise, even though more and more retailers have introduced obligatory costs. These are the findings of Geopost’s new E-Shopper Barometer, a regular study conducted in more than 20 European countries.
The percentage of returned parcels in Swiss online retail has more than tripled within five years. Compared to just 8 percent back in 2017, the rate has already climbed to 28 percent according to the latest representative survey carried out by Geopost – one percentage point higher than in the previous year and another European record. On average, online shoppers in other European countries returned just 14 percent of parcels. Portugal has the lowest rate of returns at just 6 percent. The statistics encompass all regular online shoppers who order products online at least once a month. They account for 90 percent of the total volume of online shopping.
Returns are on the rise even though online shoppers are encountering more and more obstacles: just 45 percent found it easy to send parcels back last year. In the previous year, this proportion was up at 53 percent, and was even 62 percent in 2019. A similar trend can be observed in the other countries covered by the survey. Various major retailers have since introduced a charge for returns, at least for smaller orders. However, the e-shopper barometer suggests that the trend is heading in the other direction: There are more and more ways to return parcels. 38 percent of online shoppers do not normally use post office branches, opting instead for a parcelshop or PO Box.
Upwards trend continues after Covid restrictions are lifted
The continued rise in the rate of returns in 2022 indicates that this trend is not merely a temporary result of the movement restrictions. This also goes for online retail as a whole: Four out of five online shoppers in Switzerland now shop online; more than half of them do so on a regular basis. These numbers rose during the pandemic and have remained stable ever since.
One third of people purchase fresh food online
Online orders of fresh food and drinks skyrocketed during the pandemic, yet the trend has not reversed noticeably even after the Covid restrictions were lifted. In 2017, just 14 percent of online shoppers bought fresh food, compared to 30 percent in 2021 and 29 percent in 2022. In the other European countries, the proportion of buyers of fresh produce was 35 percent on average. Every year, online shoppers in Switzerland placed 83 orders involving fresh produce.
According to the survey, the price of fresh produce is not the main deciding factor for regular online shoppers, but rather the possibility of placing an order at any time from the comfort of their own homes and not having to carry shopping bags. 70 percent of fresh produce is delivered to people’s homes, compared to 87 percent in the previous year. As online food orders rise, so does the significance of PO box units, post office branches or parcelshops. A preferred date and a one-hour delivery window are extremely important to online shoppers.
Sustainable delivery options expected
The most recent DPD E-Shopper Barometer showed that more and more customers of online retailers expect them to offer environmentally friendly delivery alternatives. This now corresponds to more than half of all regular online shoppers. First and foremost, they think of low-emission vehicles (electric, hybrid and bicycles) when they think of sustainable delivery options. Deliveries that combine multiple products are also seen as “green”.
