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Bamberg (dpa) - Although online retailers sent significantly more orders during the Corona crisis, according to a study by the University of Bamberg, relatively fewer parcels came back.
Nationwide, the number of parcels ordered and sent online rose by more than 25 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to an initial estimate by researchers after a survey of 103 online retailers in Germany.
From March to August 2020 alone, 17.4 percent more items were sent than in the same period of the previous year.
At the same time, the return rate has decreased from 17.8 to 15.9 percent.
In absolute terms, however, the number of returns remains high.
Customers had better informed themselves in advance and ordered as needed, said the head of the research group, Björn Asdecker.
Older customers in particular, who normally prefer to shop locally, would rarely have returned a package.
Because the number of orders rose so sharply, according to the study, there were still more returns in absolute terms: According to preliminary estimates, customers in Germany returned 315 million parcels last year; in 2019 it was 301 million.
The online retailers surveyed for the study only cover part of the industry's turnover.
Research group returns management