Peak season is approaching fast. Campaigns are being finalized, inventory is in place, and most stores are almost ready to go. However, one critical peak-season success factor is often overlooked: Returns.
And the way you handle them can impact much more than your logistics costs.
Your peak-season return strategy can affect your sales today, your margins tomorrow and your reputation well into next year.
Here’s why your returns strategy is so important, especially during the busiest period of the year. But first, the good news: there is still time to improve your returns setup before peak season starts!
Peak season brings 44.5% more returns
More orders inevitably mean more returns. But the increase during peak season is substantial. According to the Returnless Return Benchmark, return volumes across Europe are 44.5% higher during December, January and February compared with the rest of the year.
That puts additional pressure on return shipping, processing capacity, customer service and, ultimately, profitability. With an average charge of €5.39 per return shipment (Returnless Return Benchmark), this sharp increase in returns certainly hurts your bottom line. For merchants selling internationally, the challenge is even bigger. Products returned across borders can involve expensive shipping, longer transit times and complicated handling processes.
This is where local returns make a difference. Instead of asking customers to ship items back to a warehouse abroad, merchants provide a return address in the customer’s own country. Returns can then be received and managed locally, with options to consolidate shipments or process products according to the merchant’s requirements. It’s a practical way to simplify international returns and gain more control over costs when volumes are at their highest.
Local returns build consumer trust and confidence
Returns are part of the buying decision. DHL’s E-Commerce Trends Report found that 79% of shoppers indicated they would abandon their cart if their preferred return option wasn’t available.
Now consider a customer in France shopping at a Danish online store. They like the product, the price is right, and delivery is fast and free… But then they check the returns policy and discover that returns need to be sent back to Denmark. How expensive will that be? How long will it take? Will returning the product become a hassle?
Those questions create unnecessary doubt at the exact moment of purchase. A local return address helps remove that uncertainty. Customers are assured they can return their order locally, rather than dealing with the hassle of international return shipping. It makes the process feel more familiar and trustworthy. That reassurance matters. A convenient local return option builds trust before the purchase and can help turn hesitant shoppers into paying customers.
Don’t let peak-season returns damage your review score
Peak season doesn’t just bring more returns. It also creates more opportunities for things to go wrong. A complicated return process, international return costs, delayed refunds and poor communication often frustrate customers. And frustrated customers don’t always keep their experiences to themselves: Trustpilot’s Black Friday Insights Report 2025 found that 71.2% of electronics-industry reviews mentioning returns or refunds during the post-Christmas period received just one star.
That’s a striking reminder of how important the return experience is. This matters far beyond peak season. Those negative reviews from peak-season customers don’t just magically disappear when the shopping rush ends. They remain visible to potential buyers and can influence purchasing decisions well into 2027. A few weeks of poor return experiences can therefore create a much longer-lasting problem. Making returns easier now is one way to help protect the reputation you’ve worked hard to build.
Fix your international returns and enjoy the benefits this peak season
An improved return experience doesn’t have to cost more. There’s a common assumption that improving the customer experience means increasing operational expenses. With international returns, that is not the case. A local returns solution offers a more convenient experience for customers while giving merchants opportunities to reduce return-related costs. Instead of shipping every returned item individually across borders, products can be collected at a local return facility and consolidated for more efficient transport. Depending on the setup, returns may also be inspected, processed or routed locally.
Salesupply offers local returns starting from just €0.89 per return.
The good news? There’s still time to make the switch before peak season.
Discover how Salesupply’s local returns solution can help you lower costs, improve customer experience and protect your reputation. Starting from just €0.89 per return.
