US consumers have been on a major shopping spree since the pandemic began in 2020, replacing services with goods as many consumers stayed close to homes due to COVID-19. According to the US Census, total retail sales for 2021 were up 17.9% compared to 2020.
With the increase in retail sales has also come a rise in returns. John Haber, Chief Strategy Officer, gave a deep dive into what drives the overall cost in the returns process and reducing the costs of those returns. Haber has often said "there is no such thing as free shipping" and the same could be said for free returns.