of items ordered are returned
Zalando average, all markets. Zalando, Returns at Zalando, 2025
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Fashion · The figuresReturns in figures.
How many clothes bought online come back, what share because of size, and what a return costs. Every figure with its source.
- Sources from 2022 to 2025
- Links to every study
- Estimates flagged
In short
What is the return rate in fashion e-commerce?
Depending on the source, from 24% of orders (online apparel in the US, Coresight, 2023) to 50% of items (Zalando, 2025). Size is the leading cause: around a third of returns at Zalando, and the top reason for 53% of the brands surveyed by Coresight.
Key figures
Six figures to know.
Each card gives the scope, the year and the source.
returns are size-related
Around a third of returns at Zalando. Zalando, 2025
of online apparel orders returned
United States, survey-based estimate. Coresight Research, 2023
name size as the top reason
US apparel brands and retailers surveyed. Coresight Research, 2023
of retail sales returned
United States, all products, retailers' forecast for 2024. NRF and Happy Returns, 2024
per returned item
Transport and processing, average in Germany. University of Bamberg, 2022
The detail
Return rates: scope and source.
A per-parcel, per-item or value-based rate cannot be compared directly. This table shows what each figure measures.
| Measure | Value | Scope | Source and year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fashion items returned | 50% on average | Zalando, all markets | Zalando, 2025 |
| Fashion parcels with at least one return | 64.3% | Online fashion retail, Germany, 2021 data | European Return-o-Meter, University of Bamberg, reported by TextilWirtschaft, 2022 |
| Fashion items returned | 33.6% | Same study, per-item rate | European Return-o-Meter, reported by TextilWirtschaft, 2022 |
| Online apparel orders returned | 24.4% (estimate) | United States, survey of 100 decision-makers, 12 months to March 2023 | Coresight Research, 2023, sponsored by a software vendor |
| Retail sales returned, all products | 16.9% (forecast) | United States, 249 retailers surveyed | NRF and Happy Returns, 2024 |
We found no recent, primary public statistic for France. These figures give an order of magnitude, not a French average. Sources consulted on 11 October 2026.
The causes
Why size sends parcels back.
- Every brand has its own chart. An M does not measure the same from one brand to another, or from one cut to another.
- Shoppers do not know their measurements. A table in centimetres leaves the calculation to them.
- They order two sizes. 51% of Gen Z consumers say they buy multiple items intending to return some (NRF and Happy Returns, 2024).
- Size comes first. In Akeneo's 2025 returns report, size is the most cited reason for clothing returns, by 58% of consumers, according to just-style (2026).
The cost
What a return costs.
Shipping is only part of the bill.
Transport and processing
€2.85 per item on average in Germany (Bamberg, 2022). In the US, an estimated $25.1 billion in processing for $38 billion of apparel returned in 2023 (Coresight).
Back into stock
93.2% of returned items are resold as new and 1.3% are disposed of directly by retailers, in Germany (Bamberg, 2022). Even when resold, the item has tied up stock.
The lost sale
A refunded item is a cancelled sale. And 67% of consumers say a negative return experience would put them off a retailer (NRF, 2024).
Your own figure
The most useful figure is yours: return rate per product and the share due to size. The pricing page has a savings simulator.
The levers
Reduce size-related returns.
Act before the order, where the shopper hesitates.
- 1
A size chart per product
Not one chart for the whole catalogue: jeans, a jumper and a dress do not have the same ease.
- 2
A size, not a table
A size recommendation calculates the shopper's size in that chart, on the product page.
- 3
Measure, product by product
Track recommended sizes, returns and conversion. Zalando says its size tools avoided 8% of size-related returns over one year (Zalando, 2025).
Key point: WeeFizz calculates the size with no photo, from a few answers, in each product's real size chart. No serious tool promises zero errors: measure on your own store.
Read also: return rates, the silent enemy of your margins, and how it works: our size recommendation guide.
FAQ
Fashion returns: your questions.
What is the average return rate in fashion e-commerce?
It varies widely by country, retailer and method. Zalando says that on average 50% of items ordered are returned to it (2025). Coresight Research estimates the return rate of online apparel orders in the US at 24.4% (2023). The figure that matters most is your own store's.
What share of clothing returns is due to size?
At Zalando, size-related issues account for around a third of returns (2025). In Coresight's 2023 survey, 53% of the US apparel brands and retailers surveyed named size and fit as the top reason for online apparel returns.
How much does a return cost?
The University of Bamberg measured in 2022 an average transport and processing cost of €2.85 per returned item in Germany. Coresight estimates the processing costs of US online apparel returns at $25.1 billion in 2023. On top of that come the lost sale and customer service.
Why are these figures so different?
They do not measure the same thing: share of items, share of parcels or share of sales value, across different countries and years. A parcel often holds several items, so a per-parcel rate is higher than a per-item rate. Always compare like with like.
How can you reduce size-related returns?
An accurate size chart for each product, then a size recommendation on the product page that calculates the shopper's size in that chart before adding to basket. Then measure the effect on your own store: no tool removes every error.
Are there official figures for France?
We found no recent, primary public statistic on online fashion return rates in France. The figures on this page come from Germany, the United States and a European retailer (Zalando): they give an order of magnitude, not a French average.
WeeFizz Fashion
The right size before the order, not after the return.
Try size recommendation for 14 days on your catalogue, with no commitment.
