Consumers have adopted a ‘buy-try-return’ approach to online furniture shopping, according to consumer research, and most think retailers should foot the bill for returns.
A report commissioned by AR software company Fixtuur, which says retailers should invest in 3D and AR technology to cut returns, found that 23% of the 1,500 shoppers who took part in the survey had returned large furniture items within the last two years.
Almost three-quarters believe this is ‘just how online shopping works’.
Nearly one in three Gen Z shoppers (31%) have sent back large furniture items they’ve bought online, including sofas, beds and dining room tables.
A quarter of Gen Z consumers have also returned flat pack furniture, while 59% think returning furniture is ‘normal’.
Some 45% of the shoppers surveyed say they feel pressured to keep their home up to date with trends they see online, while 58% think influencers are adding to a ‘buy, try, return’ culture.
More than two-thirds of furniture purchasers (69%) think retailers should absorb return costs.
Some 60% of consumers say they have bought furniture online that turned out to be the wrong size, while 49% have ordered items that didn’t fit through the door or they could not get up the stairs.
