By Neil Baker – Head of Auto ID Sales for Northern Europe, BIXOLON
Following the festive peak season, there is little respite for retailers. Unwanted or unsuitable gifts will be returned, making the efficient handling of returns essential to minimise financial and resource losses.
2025 marked a pivotal time for returns. The number of “serial returners” – online shoppers who frequently buy items with the intention of returning most of them – dropped by a third, according to ZigZag. Additionally, more and more businesses started to charge for returns, forcing consumer habits to evolve.
Despite the witnessed decrease in returns, managing the cost is something that retailers could do without as this presents a great operational burden for organisations. After all, alongside this, 93% of all European online shoppers admit to returning up to 30% of all online purchases. Therefore, with a significant majority likely to do so just after peak season, efficient return handling will be key to protecting margins and maintaining customer satisfaction.
Retail returns – the cost for consumers and retailers
The decline in “serial returners” saved retailers approximately £1.7bn in 2025. This trend could arguably be attributed to the rise in retailers charging for returns. ZigZag’s research noted that most retailers charged under £3 for returns, with more than 3 in 4 of the UK’s 100 largest retailers having implemented return fees or withholding delivery refunds.
This growing trend is promising, helping retailers protect margins and support sustainability. However, with this change challenging some consumers’ mindsets, it has been offset by a rise in slower returnsand increasing scrutiny of the level of customer service during the returns process.
In the face of consumer habits being challenged, clearer communication, faster refunds and boosting loyalty will be essential for those retailers wanting to incentivise consumers to return items quickly and responsibly. To meet expectations, return logistics will need to be streamlined and POS integration effectively implemented.
Technology as an enabler of return efficiency
To manage returns efficiently, whilst keeping customer service levels high, warehouses must run like well-oiled machines.
For example, within a retail store, the POS system needs to be able to accept the return, process it, and be able to add the item back into circulation for resale fast. At the same time, a customer needs a clear, high-quality receipt from the retailer to prove the return has taken place, for example, demonstrating that money has been returned immediately. What is more, this is essential as part of retaining customer satisfaction generally, but even more important in the face of some consumers now having to pay for the privilege of making returns. Aside from getting returned items back onto the shop floor, they also need to be added back into an ecommerce fulfilment or distribution centres as quickly as possible so that they can be resold.
In this scenario, once a package arrives back in the warehouse, linerless label printers provide retailers with the mechanism to enable the product to move from returns to resale rapidly on a practical physical level. These labels don’t have the traditional glassine backing that comes with many labels when printed. When printed, they enhance both productivity and environmental responsibility, aligning with modern retail priorities, as warehouse operatives no longer need to peel and restick the updated labels. Moreover, specialised recycling bins are not required for the glassine backing.
Additionally, in retail stores, mobile, linerless label printers enable pricing labels to be reprinted fast and applied to items of clothing so that they can be resold. This helps to keep the entire returns process moving, quickly, efficiently and productively. Many of these printers are also mobile today, which enables shopfloor staff to take any items that might be stored behind a counter and relabel them on the spot before putting them back out on display to be sold.
Conclusion
In the face of a busy return season and evolving consumer expectations, adopting these innovative printing technologies can support profitability and sustainability through one of the most frustrating processes for many retailers. Although some retailers are exploring options like charging for returns, efficient processes and systems to receive and redistribute returns will become even more vital for meeting customer needs surrounding returns, while meeting operational needs too.
Post-peak season returns will no doubt present a challenge for many retailers. This challenge can be successfully met head-on with technology-driven efficiency in the returns process. With mobile and linerless printing solutions, operators can enable faster processing, quicker restocking and reduced waste. This will enable them to manage the perfect balance between productivity, sustainability and rising consumer expectations.
Photo by Félix Girault on Unsplash
