Key stat: 68% of US adults consider returns policies when choosing where to shop, according to a December survey from FedEx and Morning Consult.

Beyond the chart:

• The stakes are high once a shopper has a bad experience. Some 57% of consumers say a poor returns experience would impact their likelihood of purchasing from that brand again, regardless of prior loyalty, according to Ada, and only 36% say they are "very satisfied" with the returns process.
• Meanwhile, the costs of getting policy wrong run deeper than churn. Nearly half of shoppers (45%) and two-thirds of Gen Zers say it's acceptable to "bend the truth" when making a return, according to Happy Returns and the National Retail Federation.

Use this chart: Drop this in your next ecommerce or customer experience meeting to make the case for returns policy as a shopper acquisition tool, not just a retention one. Show your team where each generation lands, and use the generational breakdown to benchmark how your returns terms stack up against shopper expectations.

Related reports:

• Why AI Shopping Assistants Won't Drive an Immediate Shift to Ecommerce (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Retail Mobile App Shopping 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the January 2026 FedEx and Morning Consult "Consumers: Returns Survey 2025." 1,980 US adults ages 18+ were surveyed during December 4-9, 2025. Results from the full consumer survey have a margin of error of +/-2%. The merchants survey was conducted during the same period among a sample of 1,008 US merchants. Results from the full merchants survey have a margin of error of +/-3%.

We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.