Online fashion platform Asos has announced that it is introducing a return fee in the United Kingdom. However, the fee only applies to customers who, according to the platform, have a high return rate. Several customers of the online only store have voiced their anger on social media.
Asos is a British pure online fashion seller. In April, it announced that it had suffered a decrease of 18 percent in turnover during the first half of its fiscal year. The company has seen British online shoppers return to brick-and-mortar stores, while also facing competition from companies like Shein and Temu.
Customers selected as frequent returners
Last weekend, the online store sent an email to several customers to tell them that they had been identified as having a frequently high return rate. It did not disclose on what grounds these customers have been selected.
When customers keep less than 40 pounds from their order, a fee will be deducted from their refund
When these customers keep goods worth less than 47.4 euros (40 British pounds) from their order, the fashion platform will deduct 4.68 euros (3.95 British pounds) from their refund. If the customer keeps more 40 British pounds or more, the return will be free.
The change will come into effect on October 8th. Selected customers will be reminded on the website while placing their order. The change will also apply to loyalty members. They will get free returns, as long as they keep at least 17.78 euros (15 British pounds) of their order.
Others still get free returns
The new fee does not apply to customers that are not deemed frequent returners by the company. “We are making this change so that we can continue offering free returns to all our customers,” Asos told the BBC. “For a small group of UK customers with a frequently high return rate whose shopping habits make offering them unconditional free returns unsustainable, they can still get free returns when they keep 40 pounds or more of their order.”
‘We are making this change so that we can continue offering free returns to all our customers’
High return rates are a common problem in ecommerce in the United Kingdom. According to a recent study, between 22 to 44 percent of all returned clothing is never resold to a secondary customer. It is not surprising that Asos wants to lower its return rates. It already launched a threshold for a return fee earlier this year in France, Germany and the US.
‘Asos known for inconsistent sizing’
However, customers of the online platform have voiced their anger at the new fee. In many complaints, they mention that the platform is known for its inconsistent sizing. According to them, this is the cause of the high return rates.