Holiday Returns: By the Numbers

After weeks (or in some cases, months!) of holiday shopping, most consumers are ready to relax and open gifts with eggnog in hand. Sounds fun, right? Unfortunately, retailers are still carrying out a significant portion of their holiday business. from now on One of them is the not-so-favorite tradition of sorting customer returns.

Returning items has never been easier for shoppers, and despite updated return policies and restrictions, return volume continues to rise. According to NRF, About 17% of all goods purchased in 2024 A total of $890 billion will be returned. This is an increase from 15% in 2023.

Post-holiday returns make up a large portion of this number, and the sheer volume of inventory coming back to brands and retailers this winter, especially early in the first quarter, represents a financial and logistical challenge.

Profit by the Numbers

“Mountain of inventory” may sound dramatic, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s what brands and retailers will be covering this season.

• 40% of consumers return gifts.
• A total of $170 billion worth of merchandise is expected to be returned after the holidays.
• Almost half of that total comes from online purchases.
• 25% of all returns occur around Christmas.
• If the package is opened or the seal is broken, the product will not be returned to the main shelf.

What can B-Stock tell me about holiday returns?

The cost of sorting, inspecting, repackaging, storing, transporting and remarketing numerous products through primary sales channels can easily exceed the value of even the products in their original condition. This is why most items never return to the main shelf.

15 years of B2B resale data allows B-Stock to provide a broad view of secondary market trends and deliver customized, actionable insights to customers, including today’s top retailers, brands, and OEMs. Here’s a quick look at what the post-holiday data shows across our platforms.

• The most common post-vacation returns include women’s trendy clothing, toys, and specialty kitchen appliances and tools.
• E-commerce inventory increases 36% since Christmas
• Total inventory sales increased by 30% from January to March
• From January to March, the number of truckloads of customer returns doubles.
• Customer returns account for 77% of all products sold on B-Stock.

How can brands and retailers respond?

The best way for businesses to clear out overcrowded warehouses and quickly turn this inventory into cash is to leverage a technology and data-driven B2B resale platform like B-Stock. Our platform offers:

• Reach the right buyers We are interested in products of all categories, quantities and conditions.

• Flexible resale options A variety of strategies to target every goal – whether you want to recover cash, secure warehouse space quickly, or gain control over your brand.

• Fast scalable cycle times To predictably eliminate excess inventory that is simply taking up space.

• Brand and Channel Management With custom rules and restrictions to ensure your products sell how, where and to whom you want.

• Data-Driven Resale Insights It helps you understand changing buyer demand, optimize your resale strategy, and accurately forecast prices.
• Automated Resale Process Dedicated account managers and automated features make selling to one buyer as easy as selling to 1,000 buyers.

With the new year fast approaching and a wave of post-holiday returns approaching, your business doesn’t need to be left holding the bag.

To learn more about what B-Stock can do for you, contact a B2B resale expert after the holidays and throughout the year. Schedule a live platform demo.