Retail Returns Statistics 2026: Rates, Costs, and Consumer Trends

Product returns cost U.S. retailers hundreds of billions of dollars every year. As e-commerce continues to grow, so does the volume and complexity of reverse logistics. This report compiles the most current, source-verified statistics on retail returns for journalists, analysts, and business teams.

Key Findings at a Glance

U.S. retail returns are projected at $849.9 billion in 2025, a 15.8% return rate -- down from 16.9% in 2024 (NRF / Happy Returns, 2025 Retail Returns Landscape, Oct 2025).
E-commerce return rates remain higher at an estimated 19.3% in 2025 (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
9% of all returns in 2025 are classified as fraudulent, and 85% of retailers are deploying AI to detect and prevent return fraud (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
Gen Z consumers (ages 18-30) averaged 7.7 online returns in the past 12 months, more than any other generation (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
In 2024, returns totaled $685 billion with a 13.21% return rate, and return fraud/claims were estimated at $103 billion (15.14% of returns) (Appriss Retail + Deloitte, 2024).

Return Volume and Value

Metric	Value	Source
Total U.S. retail returns (2025 projected)	$849.9 billion	NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025
Return rate as share of sales (2025)	15.8%	NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025
E-commerce return rate (2025)	19.3%	NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025
Total U.S. retail returns (2024)	$890 billion	NRF / Happy Returns, Dec 2024
Return rate as share of sales (2024)	16.9%	NRF / Happy Returns, Dec 2024
Return rate as share of sales (2023)	14.5%	NRF, 2023 report
Holiday season return rate (2025)	17% of holiday sales	NRF, Oct 2025

2024 Returns Snapshot (Appriss Retail + Deloitte)

$685 billion in total returns in 2024, equal to a 13.21% return rate (Appriss Retail + Deloitte, 2024).
Return and claims fraud reached $103 billion, representing 15.14% of total returns (Appriss Retail + Deloitte, 2024).

Consumer Return Behavior (2025)

82% of consumers consider free returns a key purchase factor, up from 76% in 2024 (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
81% of consumers review return policies before purchasing (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
76% prefer return options that offer instant refunds or exchanges (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
71% of consumers say a negative return experience would discourage them from shopping with a retailer again, up from 67% in 2024 (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
80% would share a negative return experience with friends and family (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).

Return Convenience Signals (2024 Report)

84% of shoppers prefer box-free, label-free returns with instant refunds (NRF / Happy Returns, 2024).
46% of shoppers abandon purchases if return methods are not convenient (NRF / Happy Returns, 2024).
The UPS Store is the top return drop-off location for 59% of shoppers (NRF / Happy Returns, 2024).

Bracketing and Generational Trends

"Bracketing" refers to buying multiple variants of a product with the intent to return most of them.

Close to two-thirds of consumers admit to at least one costly return behavior, from wardrobing to bracketing to sending back different items (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
45% of consumers believe "bending the truth" is acceptable when making returns (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
Gen Z consumers averaged 7.7 online returns over the past year, the most of any generation (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
51% of Gen Z consumers say they bracket purchases (NRF / Happy Returns, 2024).

Return Fraud (2025)

9% of all returns are classified as fraudulent (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
85% of retailers are deploying AI and machine learning to detect and prevent return fraud, but only 45% find these tools effective so far (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).
Common fraudulent tactics include overstated return quantities (71% of retailers report this), empty-box / "box of rocks" returns (65%), and decoy returns such as counterfeit items (64%) (NRF / Happy Returns, Oct 2025).

Retailer Response and Operations

68% of retailers say they are prioritizing upgrading their returns capabilities within the next six months (NRF / Happy Returns, 2024).
60% of retailers report having to choose between processing returns and fulfilling new orders (Happy Returns, 2024).
40% of retailers are seeking additional support from third-party logistics providers for holiday returns (NRF, 2024).
34% are hiring additional seasonal staff specifically to handle returns during holidays (NRF, 2024).

If you found this data useful, please cite as: "Retail Returns Statistics 2026," makemyreceipt.com, February 2026.

Methodology and Sources

All statistics in this report are sourced from publicly available reports and press releases. Primary sources include:

NRF & Happy Returns: 2025 Retail Returns Landscape (October 2025). Survey of 2,006 consumers and 358 ecommerce professionals from U.S. retailers with $500M+ revenue.
NRF & Happy Returns: 2024 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry (December 2024). Survey of 2,007 consumers and 249 ecommerce/finance professionals.
NRF & Happy Returns: 2024 NRF Returns Report.
Appriss Retail + Deloitte: 2024 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry Report and 2024 fraud loss update.
Retail TouchPoints: NRF Forecasts Nearly $850 Billion in Returns in 2025 (October 2025).

Last updated: February 2026.