Returns, and the policies that invite them
Reverse logistics, return policies and product returns appear on 53 recent papers, almost all in operations research, with 15 in the last quarter against about 12 per quarter before. Online return rates are several times those of stores, and retailers are starting to charge for returns. Which policies cut returns without cutting sales, and what happens to the returned goods?
What prompted this
Since October 2025, 53 papers carry a product-return, return-policy, returns-management or reverse-logistics keyword (48 in operations research journals): "reverse logistics" on 30, "return policy" on 10, "product returns" on 8, "returns management" on 3. The quarter to September 2026 had 15 such papers against about 12 per quarter earlier. Most model the network; few use data on what consumers do when policies change.
Questions
- When a retailer introduces a return fee or shortens the return window, how much do returns fall, and how much do sales and repeat purchases fall with them?
- What share of returned items is resold as new, resold as used, or destroyed, and how does that vary by category?
- Do virtual try-on tools and better size information reduce returns more cheaply than fees?
Data that could help
Retailer transaction and return data around policy changes, disposition records for returned goods, and consumer survey data.
Next step
Compare return rates and repeat purchase rates at retailers that introduced return fees in 2023–2024 with those that did not, using consumer panel data.