Take It Back: The Impact of Dynamic Consumer Goals in Return and Exchange Interactions

Product returns and exchanges are an important part of a consumer’s postpurchase decision-making process and have economic and psychological consequences. Based primarily on a participant observation research, a conceptual model is developed that portrays two distinct process paths that occur during return transactions. The analysis incorporates previous research regarding goal-directed behavior and role and script theories in understanding the complexity of a return transaction. Consumers are identified as having both economic and social goals, and the change catalysts promoting shifts in goal focus as well as the interplay between these goals are represented in the model. Product returns and exchanges are an important part of a retailer’s service delivery and a consumer’s postpurchase decision-making process. In general, product returns are expensive for both consumers and retailers in terms of financial and psychological costs. U.S. retailers receive over $100 billion a year in returns, an amount that tops the GDP of two thirds of the countries of the world, with some product categories reaching a return rate of 35 % (Trebilock, 2002). Not only is the monetary value of returns staggering, but according to recent research, the cost to a retailer or manufacturer of a single retur