Totally agreed that in many cases, the math doesn't math and the general sense we get from the Cut article is that there have been a fair share of people who are shamelessly taking advantage of lenient policies.
However, would like to also note the deeper root causes of issues like bracketing. Assuming that a significant number of people start with good intentions, the problem still exists because businesses have not figured out to help people decide which version of the item works for their body/whether it works at all! Very few people can see, for example, a 34'' shirt online and glean how that material is going to fall on their body, will the buttons gape or the armholes feel constricted when they lift up their arms, whether it will make them feel good or not. Some solutions like Sizebay and Easysize attempt to fill this gap, but even then, adoption across industry has been spotty.
And that's one line of thought - but there's a theme here right? It's a broader problem of how do businesses help people figure out if the product is right for them? How can they hit the nail on the head (as efficiently as possible), and drive down the risk of returns? For commoditized products like those Halloween costumes, there's not a lot of investment spent upfront to differentiate the product and find the right customer, and so my theory is that the "cost" doesn't disappear, it just shifts down funnel to cost of returns.
I also wonder if too many businesses have also simply been eating the costs of fulfilling a core customer need/value in this day and age, convenience, when instead more of them could value it properly and get customers to pay for it. It seems like ASOS attempted it, but maybe just didn't execute well ("unlimited" for starters tends to invite extreme behaviors, not sure who did the $24.99 math on that one).
I'd reframe the last question a bit, and this is coming from someone who sometimes takes years to decision on buying something simply because I hate the possibility of doing a return.... I don't think businesses want us to buy less [of their] stuff - that's not good business! I'm not a very good customer in many cases! Maybe something more aligned would be - how do we buy the right stuff? How can businesses help customers buy the things we will value and will serve us well? And do it in one go? And then if we get it wrong, how do we handle the discard pile with care and love and respect for the precious resources it took from the planet to create it ~
By the way I still have the sweater from Bow & Drape. Going 10 years strong :)
Thank you for this thoughtful reply! Your questions at the end are nuanced and perhaps better said that I could say myself. I would say there are likely two contemplations here:
1/ how do we get people to buy less, and less wastefully, and think differently about disposable purchasing (clothing is the only consumer essential that has gone down in price since the 1960s, meaning lower quality as well as more planned obsolescence), which I do see as a core contributor to the returns issue.
2/ to your point, how do we get people to make more considered purchases that will work for them? I would argue a lot of what you've pondered here is right: better sizing solutions, better discovery, better disposition.
And you made my heart soar telling me you still have your B&D. I am forever your fan
The math doesn't math and I'm glad you showed it here -- I had a defining experience in college that changed my shopping behavior around returns. I purchased a shirt from a Zara in Milan and instantly had buyers remorse. I turned around to return it (without having left the store) and my American consumerist behaviors were exposed. The associate informed me there are no returns and no exceptions to the policy. I'm no saint, but that moment changed how I shop for the better.
A former colleague of mine just launched Comeback Goods, chipping away at the returned inventory problem. https://comebackgoods.com/
Totally agreed that in many cases, the math doesn't math and the general sense we get from the Cut article is that there have been a fair share of people who are shamelessly taking advantage of lenient policies.
However, would like to also note the deeper root causes of issues like bracketing. Assuming that a significant number of people start with good intentions, the problem still exists because businesses have not figured out to help people decide which version of the item works for their body/whether it works at all! Very few people can see, for example, a 34'' shirt online and glean how that material is going to fall on their body, will the buttons gape or the armholes feel constricted when they lift up their arms, whether it will make them feel good or not. Some solutions like Sizebay and Easysize attempt to fill this gap, but even then, adoption across industry has been spotty.
And that's one line of thought - but there's a theme here right? It's a broader problem of how do businesses help people figure out if the product is right for them? How can they hit the nail on the head (as efficiently as possible), and drive down the risk of returns? For commoditized products like those Halloween costumes, there's not a lot of investment spent upfront to differentiate the product and find the right customer, and so my theory is that the "cost" doesn't disappear, it just shifts down funnel to cost of returns.
I also wonder if too many businesses have also simply been eating the costs of fulfilling a core customer need/value in this day and age, convenience, when instead more of them could value it properly and get customers to pay for it. It seems like ASOS attempted it, but maybe just didn't execute well ("unlimited" for starters tends to invite extreme behaviors, not sure who did the $24.99 math on that one).
I'd reframe the last question a bit, and this is coming from someone who sometimes takes years to decision on buying something simply because I hate the possibility of doing a return.... I don't think businesses want us to buy less [of their] stuff - that's not good business! I'm not a very good customer in many cases! Maybe something more aligned would be - how do we buy the right stuff? How can businesses help customers buy the things we will value and will serve us well? And do it in one go? And then if we get it wrong, how do we handle the discard pile with care and love and respect for the precious resources it took from the planet to create it ~
By the way I still have the sweater from Bow & Drape. Going 10 years strong :)
Thank you for this thoughtful reply! Your questions at the end are nuanced and perhaps better said that I could say myself. I would say there are likely two contemplations here:
1/ how do we get people to buy less, and less wastefully, and think differently about disposable purchasing (clothing is the only consumer essential that has gone down in price since the 1960s, meaning lower quality as well as more planned obsolescence), which I do see as a core contributor to the returns issue.
2/ to your point, how do we get people to make more considered purchases that will work for them? I would argue a lot of what you've pondered here is right: better sizing solutions, better discovery, better disposition.
And you made my heart soar telling me you still have your B&D. I am forever your fan
The math doesn't math and I'm glad you showed it here -- I had a defining experience in college that changed my shopping behavior around returns. I purchased a shirt from a Zara in Milan and instantly had buyers remorse. I turned around to return it (without having left the store) and my American consumerist behaviors were exposed. The associate informed me there are no returns and no exceptions to the policy. I'm no saint, but that moment changed how I shop for the better.
A former colleague of mine just launched Comeback Goods, chipping away at the returned inventory problem. https://comebackgoods.com/
Excited to follow your work here.
This is a helpful example - and excited to hear of more of these companies like Comeback Goods creating an alternative for our planet