US Consumers Making Fewer Product Returns This Year – Adobe

US shoppers have been sending back fewer products this holiday season than they did last year, according to Adobe Analytics.

The number of returns slipped 2.5% year on year for the period spanning November 1 to December 12, the company reported Wednesday. For the seven days following Cyber Week, the figure was about the same as last year, sliding only 0.1%.

While shoppers tend to favor mobile devices for making online purchases, they prefer desktops for handling returns, Adobe found. This season to date, mobile phones have accounted for only 39% of returns, with desktops comprising the rest; over half of the season’s spending (52%) came from mobile devices.

Adobe expects returns to surge after Christmas Day. From December 26 to 31, it foresees a 25% to 35% jump from current levels, and an 8% to 15% rise in the first two weeks of January.

During the 2024 holiday season, one in eight returns occurred in those six days between Christmas and New Year — a trend Adobe expects to hold true this year as well.

Image: A returns desk at a retail store in Washington. (Shutterstock)