Recent research shows just how big Millennials and Gen Z-ers are on buying fashion. But they’re also big on returning fashion.

They’re expected to be the highest returning demographics when it comes to sending back fashion purchases bought on Black Friday this year, according to the latest research by AI-driven platform True Fit.

Its research of 1,000 UK consumers shows that while the average shopper will return 16% of Black Friday fashion purchases, Millennials will send back 24% while Gen Z will return 23% over the major discounting period.

With Adobe Analytics’ data estimating that last year UK shoppers spent £1.04 billion during Black Friday, a rise of 4.1% compared to 2022, “these significant intended returns among shoppers risk dampening retail revenue opportunities”, the report states.

Currently, 20% of UK shoppers consider themselves to be ‘serial returners’, an increase of 5% year-on-year, with the proportion indexing even higher among Millennials (37%, a rise of 13% compared to 2023). 

And while 76% of UK consumers feel returns are just a natural consequence of online shopping, a further 72% attributed fit as the most frequent cause of having to return everyday fashion, rising to 78% of Millennials.

Jessica Arredondo Murphy, co-founder and CEO of True Fit, said: “Retailers are working hard to meet the discounting demands of shoppers who, despite the slowly improving economic picture, are still feeling the squeeze on disposable incomes. Retailers are already taking a hit on margins through discounting, but with high returns rates forecast, they could risk significant additional costs associated with reverse logistics and re-merchandising of returned goods, eating away further at already slim margins.”

She added: “Our research shows fit assurance is the defining factor as to whether a shopper keeps or returns an item. And this makes being able to boost fit confidence and serve high-fidelity size and fit recommendations to 100% of traffic critical for helping retailers drive more sales but ensure what they do sell stays in shoppers’ wardrobes.”