Delivery firm ZigZag has noted that post-Christmas returns and returns in January have seen a year-on-year increase and is predicting ‘the biggest-ever wave of January returns’ in 2024.
The company reported that, as of early January, returns had increased by 42 per cent year over year. Returns particular to Christmas, that is, from 24th December to 2nd January, have increased by 16 per cent.
According to ZigZag, sizing concerns remain a major factor in fashion returns, accounting for 49 per cent of all returns worldwide and 68 per cent of all returns in the UK, up 37 per cent from the previous year. Additionally, the report stated that defective items accounted for 9 per cent of all returns in the UK.
Additionally, it reported that it has observed a “marked shift” in the way customers are returning their purchases, with home pickup up 77 per cent and locker drop-off up 68 per cent year over year. Nonetheless, traditional return methods continue to be favoured, with returns made through the Post Office increasing by 29 per cent annually.
Furthermore, the company stated that it is not unexpected that 48 per cent of all returns during the Christmas season were paid returns, given the increasing number of retailers adopting a paid-for returns model.
Commenting on the January returns flurry, ZigZag’s CEO Al Gerrie said, “This influx of returns at the beginning of January is not surprising in the current economic climate and indicative of how consumers are trying to keep spending down. Whilst we’re not expecting returns to be up 42 per cent over the whole of January, these figures show we can expect to see one of the busiest January’s ever for returns.”
Globally speaking, between 24th December and 2nd January, paid returns in both Germany and France increased significantly by 13–20 per cent as compared to the same period in the previous year. Moreover, paid returns are now a part of 63 per cent of its retail clients’ offerings, “demonstrating where the future of retail returns is heading.”
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
