Fashion shoppers’ post-purchase selfies key to tackling online returns challenge

61% of consumers think fashion retailers can cut rapidly rising e-commerce product return rates by including more post-purchase photos and videos from other customers, to help shoppers see how clothes look on ‘real’ people, not just models.

59% say virtual try-on tech that allows shoppers to picture themselves in outfits they find online will also help to rein back returns.

The findings come from a survey of just over 2,000 US and UK consumers commissioned by Nosto.

“Polished, studio imagery has been the default way to show clothes off on e-commerce stores. But supplementing this with customers’ own imagery gives shoppers a more accurate reflection of how products are worn in everyday situations, and by ‘everyday people’ who also own the items,” says Damien Mahoney, Chief Strategy Officer at Nosto. 

“That’s why fashion retailers are leveraging customers’ visual UGC on their websites, such as the post-purchase selfies they encourage customers to share on Instagram.”

“The savviest retailers are also encouraging their customers to comment on the likes of products’ fit or share their measurements within captions, so others can make comparisons that better inform purchase decisions and therefore lessen returns.”

Separate research conducted last year by Stackla, a visual UGC platform (now a part of Nosto), indicates that consumers are very happy to let fashion retailers use their post purchase selfies.

58% would give permission to a brand to use images of their fashion purchases as part of their marketing.

Alongside using more UGC, 49 of those questioned in Nosto’s survey agreed that charging customers for returns, or stopping free returns, can stem the flow of products fashion shoppers send back by making them think more carefully about whether they’re going to keep a product before they place an order.

And the research suggests that retailers must continue to pay close attention to some of the more basic tactics to help keep returns down.

This includes taking steps to ensure online information is clear, accurate and detailed (66%), orders are not damaged before being sent and that correct items are packed (also 66%).