Asos introduces handling fee for serial returners

Shoppers with a returns rate of over 80% will be subject to an additional £3.95 charge every time they place an order from January 6.

It forms part of a wider overhaul that Asos is making in the way it approaches returns.

From next week, all customers will be able to see their returns rate when logged into their accounts and when placing an order.

The rates will be based on the value of the items sent back made in a 12-month period, as opposed to the volume of parcels returned. 

For example, a customer who sends back £20 worth of goods in a £100 order will have a returns rate of 20%.

Customers who have a returns rate of 69% or below will be allowed to continue to send back unwanted items for free, while those between 70% and 79% on over three orders will be charged a £3.95 fee if they don’t keep £40 worth of their order.

Stricter rules apply for those who sit above the 80% threshold on five or more orders, which Asos said only affects a small number of shoppers.

It forms part of the retailer’s ongoing strategy to drive full-price sales and reduce the amount of items that are sent back.

Asos introduced a £3.95 charge for customers with a “frequently high return rate” last year.

The retailer has also improved its size guides, introduced a Fit Assistant and used videos on product listings to tackle feedback that customers were sending back products due to sizing issues.

Asos said the new initiatives and charges had seen a reduction in the number of items that were being sent back.

It revealed that a number of customers who had been subject to the additional fee would be removed from the group as their rates had fallen below the threshold.

Ben Blake, EVP Customer and Commercial at ASOS: “We’re committed to keeping free returns available for all customers in all core markets, while ensuring we do so sustainably.

“To support this, we’re helping customers make informed choices by showing their return rate. For the small group with the highest return rates, we provide helpful hints and tips for shopping with confidence, and we’ve already seen this approach help customers make more informed choices.”