ZigZag: 59% of UK retailers will charge for returns in holiday shopping season
More UK retailers than ever will offer a fee to return items during peak sales according to a forecast from the returns and post-purchase network ZigZag.
The projection, which analysed trends from the year to date against previous years, estimates that paid orders will make up around 43% of returns volume over this period, up from 40% in 2025.
Despite consumer confidence slipping to lowest levels since 2020 (Financial Times, 2026), 59% of ZigZag’s retailers are offering paid returns going into the end of the year. This follows an uptick from 54% during 2024’s peak, when free returns were more widely viewed as a necessity for customer acquisition and loyalty.
Not only will more retailers than ever before charge for returns, but fees are likely to rise by 5-10%. The mean fee rose by 7% to £3.91 per return last peak, with the fee most often paid at £4.99. As return fees continue to be more commonplace, high expectations of service are being cemented. Almost two-thirds (64%) of shoppers would abandon a retailer after a poor returns experience, demonstrating the premium available to retailers that excel after the point of purchase.
Al Gerrie, ZigZag’s CEO, said: “It’s going to be a tough peak for retailers and rising fees are a clear indication that the cost of returns are having a serious impact. Free returns are no longer the norm as shoppers have become more receptive to the idea that there’s no such thing as a free return, but charging a fee comes with higher expectations. Cautious spending and slow growth has made customer loyalty the most important source of revenue for retailers, so they need to be able to offer a convenient and reliable returns service with a range of carriers and ways of returning.”
Consumers are prioritising different methods for returning in 2026. While the Post Office remains the largest returns route, returns through parcel lockers have surged 27% year-on-year and have displaced returns to parcel shops as the second most used return method nationwide as shopper preferences have shifted away from manual drop-offs towards automated locker networks. Collections from home also grew by 14% over peak season 2025. With customers now paying returns fees more often as standard, extra fees to have returns collected directly from home continue to rise in popularity.
Across Black Friday week in 2025, returns grew by around 5% compared to the same period in 2024. This period also accounted for over 10% of total peak returns volume despite multiple reports that rising numbers of shoppers finalise Christmas shopping before Black Friday (LINK, 2025).
Gerrie continued: “Black Friday is still important to prepare for, but peak season goes well beyond single-day spending sprees now. Without a predictable peak in the run up to Christmas, it’s harder to know when items are likely to come flooding back. Flexible and forgiving returns policies that can easily adapt to spending trends help to save the sale in this environment.”
