User experience and the new return culture : a study that examines the relationship between a website´s user experience (UX) and its impact on the proportion of returns

The aim of the study is to examine if usability (UX) can have an impact on the proportion of returns on a website in the fashion industry. The growing trade through e-commerce has contributed to the fact that the proportion of returned goods is higher today than ever before. From a company's perspective and from a sustainability perspective, it is of interest to reduce the proportion of returns. The literature review shows that there are ways in which UX can influence the proportion of returns for e-retailers. It also shows that the return policy can induce certain customer behavior, the so-called new return culture, which contributes to the high proportion of returns. In this study, two quantitative studies are conducted that investigate how UX can affect the proportion of returns and customers' views on returns. The results of the studies show that UX has a small impact on the proportion of returns. This may imply that there are other aspects that have a greater impact on the proportion of returns, such as target group, policy and prices. Further research is needed to exclude a connect on between usability and the proportion of returns