The tide of new technology and trends for online selling continues to rise.

While it obviously favors the industry giants, it is unclear whether small businesses can also get on board with these new platforms.

Try Before You Buy (TBYB) is quickly becoming an eCommerce trend that should be viewed with caution.

It’s a scheme where online shoppers can order dozens of items to try on, return the ones they don’t want to keep, and then receive a refund even though the retailer they bought from hasn’t yet processed the returns.

While it’s good news for consumers, TBYB poses a serious threat to a seller’s bottom line according to a new study from omnichannel retail management firm Brightpearl.

Their findings, which were drawn from 200 retailers and 4,000 consumers surveyed in the US and UK, showed that shoppers would purchase an additional five items each month if offered a try-before-you-buy option.

However, 87% of them revealed that they would return up to seven purchases. As if this wasn’t enough to cripple a company’s bottom line, 85% of shoppers surveyed said they expect their retailer to offer free returns.

That kind of mindset and expectations are affecting sellers, especially those who have been experiencing declining profits lately, in a very bad way.

40% of companies have already seen a significant increase in “intentional returns” in the last year, as several of their bosses ordered too many items knowing that returning them was free or cheap.

Are you driving down a one-way street?

It is right to think about the well-being of your customers. And while we may have repeatedly emphasized the importance of meeting your needs and wants in order to achieve the success you’re seeking, that doesn’t mean you should risk your business.

Receiving a mountain of returned products with open arms and facing the substantial cost on your own is just absurd.

The try-before-you-buy service may be popular with the giant online stores that started it, like Amazon’s Prime Wardrobe, Asos, and Topshop, among others, but if you’re not ready to follow suit, it’s only going to eat up your Margin. benefit.

It would do you good to first weigh the pros and cons of such a scheme. In fact, find out how avoiding driving on a one-way street can benefit you and your customers.

Although it could potentially increase sales, Derek O’Carroll, CEO of Brightpearl, explained:

“Try before you buy is an interesting model, with obvious benefits for consumers and businesses, but it’s something retailers should view with caution. The impact on return rates could cause devastation for online retailers who already see how their margins are greatly reduced.

Brightpearl’s survey further revealed that 17.5% of e-commerce stores have already adopted the TBYB scheme, and more than a quarter of them are expected to offer something similar to their customers in the next year.

So are you excited or a little hesitant about this growing trend?