Use ReturnPal to turn online shopping regrets into simple and speedy returns

11 January 2019

According to a recent survey by ReturnPal*, over 1 in 3 Irish adults shop online at least once a month, with convenience and brand availability cited as the main reason for this growing shopping trend. With over half [52%] claiming they would spend more online than in traditional bricks and mortar stores, the chances of customers needing to return items is greater than ever.

To meet the demands of evolving consumer shopping habits, An Post has launched ReturnPal - an online service providing shoppers with a hassle-free way to return those unwanted or unsuitable Christmas and January Sales purchases. 

• 2 in 3 Irish adults aren’t completely satisfied with items purchased online 

• Almost half say that returning goods bought online is just “too much hassle” 

• Just 38% of Irish adults will always return unsatisfactory online purchases 

• Clothes top the list for the most challenging online purchases, with 62% claiming sizes are too difficult to judge online

• An Post customers can now return online shopping with collection from either a chosen address or Post Office

 Buyers Regret

We’ve all had that regretful Christmas party purchase, or last-minute panic buy for a family member. Despite the convenience of online shopping, 2 in 3 Irish adults claim they aren’t fully satisfied with online purchases, mainly due to poor quality [44%], the item appearing different to how it did online [20%] and items not fitting correctly [21%]. 

New Year, New You

Get 2019 off to a fresh start by breaking that age-old habit of not returning items due to the process being “too much hassle” (48%) or claiming the items “aren’t worth enough” [34%]. 
With a view to being more sustainable in 2019, there has been no better time to return unwanted goods and limit the potential waste they may create.

Online Mishaps

Sometimes, online shopping can be a little too easy! With purchases just a click away, 1 in 5 online shoppers surveyed admit to having purchased an item they wouldn’t normally buy after a few too many drinks, with a quarter accidentally ordering something that they didn’t mean to buy in the first place. Impulse buying is also a common trait in Irish consumers, with over 40% admitting to buying something online after seeing a friend wear it and 1 in 3 going as far as hiding online impulse purchases from a partner.

Size Matters

Clothing tops the list of items that consumers find most challenging to buy online due to sizes being difficult to judge. In a bid to find the perfect fit, 1 in 3 Irish adults say they have purchased multiple sizes of the same product, however a large portion [57%] admit to keeping, and not returning, some of the ill-fitting items.

Returns made simple

The ReturnPal app is free to download from the Apple Store and Google Play Store and once registered, online shoppers can have their unsuitable or unwanted goods collected by An Post from an address of their choosing and returned directly to the retailer from which the goods came. Even the labelling of the parcel will be taken care of by An Post.
Returns can be booked up to midnight for following day collection, via the ReturnPal app. The customer placing the return notice will receive confirmation of the collection and can track their item all the way back to the retailer. Alternatively, customers can pay online, download a barcode and drop the parcel into a local Post Office and the rest will be taken care of by An Post.
Commenting on the research, Garrett Bridgeman, Managing Director Mails & Parcels at An Post, said: “Our research shows that there is a clear need and demand for this service in Ireland and that demand will only increase as online spending grows amongst Irish consumers. We have been able to match what An Post does best to a very real demand from the growing online shopping market”.

For more information, search ‘ReturnPal’ on Apple Store or Google Play Store, or visit returnpal.ie