
Christmas gift fails: the most returned items at Digitec Galaxus
Not all gifts had people jumping for joy this Christmas. An ill-fitting shirt, an underwhelming video game or a boring book – many unwanted presents are sent back in January. Digitec Galaxus reveals which kind of product customers returned the most last year and which ones have been sent back most since Christmas.
Online retail’s always booming in the last few months of the year. From Black Friday bargains to Christmas presents – the urge to spend is particularly high when the year’s coming to a close.
The return of the unwanted Xmas present
With so many purchases made during the Christmas season, most returns start coming in at the beginning of the year. «In January, customers start sending back items they don’t want. These definitely include the odd Christmas present that didn’t go down so well,» says Lauritz Fricke. Together with his team, he’s the man in charge of returns handling at Digitec Galaxus.
Customers either take back unwanted items to one of the brick-and-mortar stores or return them by post. Either way, they all end up in After Sales in Dintikon. «We check returned articles and get the majority in shape for resale,» Lauritz explains. These products are then resold with a label saying Returned & Tested.

Wrong size prime reason for returns
The most common reason customers state for returning an item is that it’s too big or too small. This mainly affects clothes and shoes. While just under 20 per cent of all returns are sent back because they didn’t meet expectations, over 40 per cent of customers give other reasons including incorrect delivery, no more need for the product or incompatibility of the product.
Digitec Galaxus strives to keep the return rate as low as possible by investing a lot of resources in product data maintenance. In other words, detailed product descriptions and illustrations are intended to prevent bad buys. Since early 2024, customers have even been able to update incorrect or missing product data themselves.
By rating products and offering advice on purchases, our Community also plays an important role in helping customers find the right product. This, in turn, also prevents items being returned.
Return rate below two per cent
Although the return rate’s highest in January, it’s still at a very low level. «In Switzerland, the return rate’s been stable for years and below two per cent across all product categories,» says Lauritz and adds, «Just under half of these are warranty cases and repairs. The other half are returned by customers because they’ve changed their mind after making the purchase.»
The low return rate’s also down to Digitec Galaxus’s product range comprising over seven million products. Fashion items account for one seventh of them. «Online retailers that exclusively sell fashion can only dream of such low return rates. That’s because shoes and clothes are by far the most frequently returned items,» Lauritz explains.
Fashion returned the most
Galaxus also sees the highest return rates for fashion items. Last year, customers returned the most shoes, blouses, jackets and the like in January. That’s more than in any other month and in any other product category.
Shoppers are least likely to return food, beauty products or pet supplies. It seems that people know which type of coffee tastes good, which shampoo smells nice and which food their four-legged friends prefer.
Thanks but no thanks: headphones
So which products are currently returned the most? Headphones, smartphones and smartwatches top the list of items returned since Christmas Eve. And it seems that some customers ordered the wrong milk or milk alternative for the holidays.
How happy are you with the Christmas presents you got? Loving them or already returned some? Maybe you use resale platforms to get rid of unwanted gifts? Join the discussion in the comments.
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