In the world of online shopping, returns are a problem for retailers and the environment. Over half of online shoppers have returned at least a few items during the past 12 months.

While return fees would not completely eliminate the problem, they would change shopping behaviour. The current IHaM analysis shows that online shoppers would respond to the introduction of mandatory return fees with alternative strategies (from webrooming to click & collect) as well as less online spending. Two-thirds of online shoppers reject return fees entirely.

Dr. Ernst Gittenberger, Institute for Retailing, Sales and Marketing (IHaM), remarked: "Introducing mandatory return fees cannot be limited to Austrian retailers, however, as three-quarters of online shoppers would immediately switch over to foreign sellers."

Prof. Christoph Teller, head of the Institute for Retailing, Sales and Marketing (IHaM), added: "The discussion regarding return fees when shopping online demonstrates the impact, directly or indirectly, to the customer, the retailer, the supplier and, of course, the environment. There is no free lunch in the supply chain."