Retail sales for the 2021 US holiday season will soar as brick-and-mortar shopping returns with a vengeance and ecommerce maintains double-digit growth rates.

More US adults strongly or somewhat agreed that Amazon is a good company for consumers and their go-to when looking for specific brands and fast shipping. That said, Walmart did have Amazon beat, by a small margin, in consumer sentiment about one area: the returns process. More like this:. Report: The Power of Amazon. Article: Why mobile retail apps are one key to holiday 2021’s winners and losers.

However, consumers won’t relax their expectations for speedy shipping unprompted. Retailers can, however, take the time to explain potential delays and ensure their last-mile delivery and pickup options are up to snuff. (Hot). Trend 3: Making sustainability a core consideration. Consumer awareness of this issue was heightened during the pandemic, and it doesn’t show signs of easing.

Data suggests that improving the returns experience can have a positive effect on conversion. The Narvar study found that having to pay for return shipping would prevent 51% from making a purchase in the first place, and more than four in 10 consumers indicated that restocking fees would stop them from transacting.

In the future, further changes should render the returns process even more sustainable. For example, it may become standard for retailers to ask their logistics partners to consolidate returns before shipping them back. Meanwhile, some innovators are tackling the returns problem higher up the shopping funnel.

UPS is anticipating a surge of returns this holiday season, leading into the new year. According to the company, 1.6 million packages are expected to be returned daily the week of December 16 leading into Christmas. And a record-breaking 1.9 million returns are expected to take place on this year’s peak returns day—January 2—up 26% over last year.

For many consumers, online shopping isn’t as frictionless as some retailers may think, particularly when it comes to return policies.