Many UK men ‘can’t be bothered’ to return clothing e-purchases

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Dec 23, 2022

Online fashion retailers must prefer selling to men. Despite an escalating cost-of-living crisis, 20% of men never return ill-fitting items of clothing, and a further 49% of them have a ‘can’t be bothered’ approach to returning clothes in general, regardless of the price.

Digital menswear retailer Spoke surveyed 2,000 UK men who regularly shop online and found, on average, they spend more than £200 purchasing clothing digitally a month. They also spend £290 a year on clothes they never wear. 

It also found 40% of men agreed that price wouldn’t play a part in returning an item anyway. The combined 69% of men who won't return clothes means that only 31% of men are guaranteed to engage with the returns process.

Even with the options of a parcel drop-off or included return labels to make it as easy and hassle-free as possible, 16% of men still said they wouldn’t return the clothing. 

And the reasons? Some 17% of men said they can't be bothered; 15% said they’d give the clothing item to a friend or family member instead, rising to 20% in London; 14% said they’d keep the item because it might fit them one day; and 10% admitted they didn’t know how to return it.

Of course, while that might be seen as good news in terms of retailers not having to process returns, it could also be bad news in that shoppers might not return to that particular online retailer if they don't wear what they've bought.

The study also found that men in Northern Ireland spend the most on clothes that never get worn, with an average of £475 a year, compared to East Midlands men, who spend only an average of £138.

West Midlands men are more likely to return ill-fitting clothes (60%) of all the regions. However, 81% of men living in the East Midlands admitted to never returning online clothes purchases. 

And of all the occupations, community and social service workers were the most giving, with 25% donating their ill-fitting clothes to loved ones.