The possibility of having to return something is dissuading consumers from buying certain products online.

eMarketer's "Do You Have a Second?" is a mini-podcast that offers a quick hit of the latest digital data. Today, we’re talking about online returns for the holiday season, apparel discounting over the Thanksgiving shopping period and consumers' resolutions for the New Year.

According to data from liquidation platform B-Stock Solutions, roughly $90 billion to $95 billion in holiday gifts will be returned this year.

Return policies used to be viewed as a necessary evil. Behind the scenes, logistics can create a lot of headaches for retailers, but consumers expect a seamless process. Flexible returns have also become a differentiating factor that can make or break customer loyalty.

Following Amazon’s decision to ban consumers suspected of abusing its return policy, 61% of US retailers in a recent Brightpearl survey said they would consider a similar move to rid themselves of serial returners.

There's no denying that ecommerce is disrupting the retail industry. But when it comes to returning a digital purchase, most consumers prefer to head to a physical store.