Car CE Returns Highest On Purchase Date

By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 5/3/2010

REDMOND, WASH. — Car electronics have the single highest rate of returns attempted on date of purchase.

According to SIRAS, for the point-ofsale product registration service for retailers and manufacturers, nearly 30 percent of all returns in automotive electronics are made on the purchase date, which is unlike any other CE category, according to Peter Junger, president. The typical rate for most CE goods is half that, he said.

Junger said the high first-day rate is attributable to unique category factors:

• Consumers purchasing wrong type or size products to install in their vehicle.
• Consumers may decide to return a product after realizing they cannot perform the installation themselves.
• Consumers also attempt to return products after damaging them during installation.

SIRAS data for this report is based only the products and retailers participating in the company’s monitoring, typically items priced less than $25.