Blue Yonder, the AI company for supply chain, today released its 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey. It found that 84% of Australian shoppers would shop less often or stop shopping entirely at a retailer that limits their ability to return items because they return too frequently.Now in its fourth year in the U.S., the survey polled more than 5,000 consumers across the U.S., Australia, France, Germany and the U.K. It asked how they shop, what they send back and how they respond when retailers tighten the rules. The Australian findings highlight the importance of fast refunds and flexible returns policies, with 61% of respondents choosing one retailer over another in the past year purely because it offered a better returns policy. Nearly a third (32%) of Australian respondents said they have purchased a product after receiving a recommendation from an AI tool or assistant, such as a consumer chatbot. Of those, 45% have returned an AI-recommended purchase within the past year. One-quarter (25%) of Australian respondents would trust an AI tool to recommend the right size or fit to avoid a return, while 41% would potentially trust it depending on the retailer and 34% would not. The Australian findings on AI-related returns are based on a small subgroup and should be treated as indicative. Younger Australians are leading the uptake of AI-assisted shopping, with 50% of Gen Z respondents and 44% of Millennials having purchased a product following a recommendation from an AI tool or assistant, compared with 24% of Gen X and 10% of Baby Boomers. Trust in AI sizing recommendations follows a similar pattern: 35% of both Gen Z and Millennials would trust an AI tool to recommend the right size or fit to avoid a return, compared with 17% of Gen X and 10% of Baby Boomers.

“Shoppers are taking AI’s advice faster than retailers are getting ready for it, and nearly half of them are sending something back,” Duncan Angove, CEO of Blue Yonder commented. “That’s not really an AI problem. It’s a data problem. An AI assistant is only as good as the product information it can find, and most product data was written for a search bar, not for a machine suggesting products for someone. When what arrives doesn’t match what the shopper expected, it goes back in the box.” 

More than six in 10 Australian respondents (61%) said that they have decided to buy from one retailer over another purely because it had a better returns policy. Two in five (40%)have gone further and stopped shopping altogether at a retailer that implemented a stricter return policy in the last year.If a retailer told them they return too often and limited their returns, 46% of Australian respondents would stop shopping there entirely, while 38% would shop there less often — a combined 84%. Retailers are adopting new tracking technologies, such as using AI to monitor return histories and flag frequent returners. When asked about using AI to monitor returns histories and flag or block frequent returners, 33% of Australian respondents called it a fair way to control costs.However, 25% said it is invasive and would make them shop elsewhere.

“The instinct when returns go up is to tighten the rules,” Angove commented. “But the data tells you how that ends. Flag shoppers as frequent returners and limit their returns, and eight in 10 say they’d cut back or walk away. And some of your most frequent returners are your best customers. The challenge is telling the difference between a shopper who abuses returns and a loyal customer who simply returns a lot. That takes systems that can set the right policy for each customer and handle every return as quickly and cheaply as possible. Done right, returns stop being just a cost and start earning loyalty.”

Free and fast returns still matter most to Australianshoppers, but many will take an alternative. For 34%, fast or instant refunds arethe most important factor when returning an item. Free returns shipping (31%) is a close second. Australia was the only surveyed country where refund speed ranked first. If presented with a fee to return a product, 60% of Australian respondents said they would not be willing to pay. Payinga returns fee was also the single most inconvenient part of making a return for 42%, ahead of slow refunds at 22%. Instead, consumers are accepting “keep it” returns and alternative incentives in exchange for not making a return. Nearly half (46%) of Australianrespondents have been told by a retailer to keep a product they wanted to return rather than go through the returns process, with 69%of those saying it made them more likely to shop with that retailer again. For retailers, a keep-it refund often makes economic sense when the cost of shipping and processing a return exceeds what the item could be resold for, provided they can spot the shoppers who would take advantage of it. The goodwill is a bonus. Australian respondents would also accept store credit for a future purchase (41%)in exchange for not making a return. Store credit also keeps the revenue with the retailer, which makes it one of the few concessions that works for both sides.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about how Blue Yonder Returns Management helps retailers deliver a superior customer experiencewhile effectively managing returns to maximise recovery value.
• Estimate the potential savings from more efficient returns processing with the Blue Yonder returns calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Question: What return policies do consumers care about most?
  • Answer: Blue Yonder’s 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey found that Australian consumers find fast or instant refunds (34%) and free returns shipping (31%)the most important aspects when returning an item. Australia was the only surveyed country where refund speed ranked first.
• Question: Do Australian consumers return AI-recommended products?
  • Answer: Of the Australian shoppers who have purchased AI-recommended products, 45% have returned one within the past year. Note that this finding isbased on a relatively small subgroup and should be treated as indicative; it does not establish that AI recommendations cause higher return rates.
• Question: How have higher prices changed consumer return behavioursin the past year?
  • Answer: Blue Yonder’s 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey found that over half (54%) of Australianconsumers said that higher prices have made them more careful about what they buy so they return less. Meanwhile, 22% said higher prices have made them more likely to return items to get their money back.
• Question: How has AI changed consumer shopping behaviour?
  • Answer: Nearly one-third (32%) of Australianshoppers have purchased products recommended by AI tools, according to Blue Yonder’s 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey. One-quarter (25%) would trust AI to recommend the right size or fit to avoid a return, while 41% would potentially trust it depending on the retailer.
• Question: How do these findings relate to Blue Yonder and Optoro’s previous returns-focused surveys?
  • Answer: Blue Yonder’s 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey continues Blue Yonder’s 2025 Global Consumer Retail Returns Survey, providing year-over-year insights into returns challenges facing consumers and retailers, as well as new findings around returns for AI and social recommendations. It also builds on Optoro’s 2024 Returns Unwrapped survey, conducted before Blue Yonder acquired Optoro in 2025.

Survey Methodology
The Blue Yonder 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey was fielded by a third-party provider in September 2026. Blue Yonder surveyed more than 5,000 consumers, including 250 in Australia, and global consumers across Australia, France, Germany and the U.K. to gather insights on how returns restrictions and the rise of AI and social recommendations are impacting consumer behaviors. The survey builds upon Blue Yonder’s 2025 Global Consumer Retail Returns Survey, which collected responses from consumers who confirmed they were aware of increasingly tightened returns policies, and Optoro’s 2024 Returns Unwrapped survey.