REDMOND, WASH. –
Same-day returns of TVs
are on the upswing, according
to the latest data
provided by SIRAS.
The company, which
provides point-of-sale
product registration services
to retailers and
manufacturers, said
same-day return attempts
have increased vs. the
prior period, which
seems to be a growing
problem for retailers.
When TWICE examined
this product category
six months ago,
SIRAS president Peter
Junger said that the rate
had at least a couple of
potential explanations:
Consumers may have
had technical difficulty installing or using the products,
or it was possible that dishonest activity was
taking place, such as attempted returns of merchandise
that had been purchased with fraudulent tender.
The latest data from SIRAS, covering the 12-month
period ending Aug. 31, 2010, shows a modest but
statistically significant increase in date-of-purchase
return attempts, to 14.2 percent. SIRAS’ last set
of annual data showed return-attempt rate for TVs
on the purchase date of 13.8 percent. (This rate is
calculated based on the total number of return attempts
of SIRAS-tracked products in that category
for the one-year period).
According to Junger, the recent increase may be
the result of the same factors from six months ago,
or as new analysts suggests, it may be that shoppers
often purchase the wrong size set and exchange it
for different size model.
Whatever the reason, Junger said the elevated return
rates lower retailers’ and manufacturers’ profits.
