Behind the scenes
Returned products get a second life
by Tobias Billeter
Not for you? The most frequently returned products of 2025
15.1.2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
A little under two per cent of items bought at Galaxus are sent back. The most returned Christmas purchases? Smartphone cases, Lego and headphones. Find out what else customers in Switzerland returned last year and why.
In-store or online, returns are part of retail. At Galaxus, returned products are checked and resold if they’re still fully functional: «Provided an item isn’t defective, it’s put up for sale again with the label 'returned & tested' or is donated to social partner organisations. We only dispose of or recycle products that can’t or mustn’t be reused, such as hygiene products,» says Lauritz Fricke, Head of After Sales & Retail at Digitec Galaxus.
Smartphone cases, Lego and headphones – our Xmas return champions
After Christmas 2024, boots, smartphone cases and, above all, headphones accounted for the most returns. One year later, in late 2025, Lego made the top three for the first time ever. Behind smartphone cases and before headphones, no other product type was returned as frequently in absolute terms in the two weeks after Christmas Eve.
Clothing ongoing returns driver, beauty and health products rarely returned
In relation to order volume, the most frequent returns last year belonged to the categories clothing, watches and jewellery and sports equipment. Food, media, beauty and health products, on the other hand, are the least frequently returned items. On average, their return rate is 1.77 per cent.
Online retailers want to keep return rates as low as possible – for environmental reasons and to save costs. That’s why Galaxus focusses on a wide range, detailed product descriptions (that can even be tweaked by customers ), extensive filter functions, honest editorial content and helpful shopping features such as the AI buying guide.
If it doesn’t fit, it’s sent back by post
To help improve its shop and product range, Digitec and Galaxus asks customers to state a reason when they return an item. «Mostly, it's down to a bad fit,» explains Lauritz Fricke. «Too big, too small and not compatible with another product are the most common reasons. After an unwanted item has been sent back, we make sure it’s for sale again as quickly as possible.»
The drop-down menu «Other reasons» provides a selection of more specific reasons, including «Product was delivered too late» (1 %) or «Product not needed any more» (1 %). Lauritz Fricke: «We’re currently working on dynamic return reasons for different products for 2026. This means we’ll be able to understand the reason why customers send back purchases even better and avoid this altogether by providing optimised product information.» In other words, Galaxus is continuing to work on enabling customers to make informed purchases in a user-friendly environment. This includes transparency initiatives such as the warranty score and return rate for products.
*What would be a reason for you to return a product?
Daniel Borchers
Senior Communications Manager
Daniel.Borchers@galaxus.deA soft spot for good series, loud music, science fiction and (second division) football. As PR Manager, I am available to answer journalists' questions about Galaxus and honest e-commerce.
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