Exploring consumer orientation toward returns: unethical dimensions

Abstract

As customer return rates increase, retailer bottom lines suffer from customers' misuse of the policies and to the ethics of such practice. The purpose of this study is to explore customers' orientation toward return behaviors, and to develop a return orientation assessing these dimensions. This research identified three dimensions relevant to consumer return behavior: the planned/unethical returner; the eager returner; and the reluctant/educated returner. A retest with another sample confirmed these three dimensions. Each dimension was analyzed for its relationship with consumer ethical beliefs as measured by the Muncy-Vitell Consumer Ethics Scale, ethical philosophies and shopping behaviors. These relationships supported the ethical and unethical aspects of returner orientation. Results of this research imply that the core aspect of returner orientation is relevant to ethical behavior and misuse of retail return policies. The three return orientations identified partially support the Rosenbaum & Bitner-Olson research.

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“…The result of the study showed that selling pressure and ethical sales climate are found to have a positive significant relationship to ethical behaviors. As pointed out by [20,52,53], selling pressure is focused on retaining the relationship with the customers and this encompasses a range of activities inherent of the company's objective and agents' concerns for customers' need. Thus, in service industry like Takaful putting customers' interest should be priority [54], and agents tend to sell product that are beneficial to the customers [55].…”

Uncovering consumers’ returning behaviour: a study of fashion e-commerce

“…Similarly, Wachter et al (2012) identified three dimensions that are relevant for consumer return behaviour: the planned or unethical returner (customers who intentionally plan unethical returns), the eager returner (customers who see returning as a good decision and feel good when they complete a return) and the reluctant or educated returner (customers who find returning embarrassing or feel guilty about it). Previous studies have also identified demographics (e.g.…”

“…Consequently, while some consumers may have justified reasons for returning items they have bought or ordered, other consumers may take advantage of a free return policy (see Wachter et al 2012). This phenomenon is labelled as 'fraudulent returning', and can be defined as 'the returning of a product broken by the customer after purchase or the returning of a non-faulty product after it had been used' (Harris 2010, 734).…”

“…consumers just not being satisfied with how the product looks, but some is planned, i.e. when the decision to return is made already before ordering the products and can in fact take also unethical characteristics (see Wachter et al 2012). Hence, from the retailer's point of view, the time when the decision to return is made is of critical importance, as it would help retailers manage the possible return process in advance, for example, through well-timed provision of information.…”

“…These categories can be further divided on the basis of whether online returning behaviour is planned or unplanned (compare with Wachter et al 2012) and whether it is consumeror other-initiated. Hence, as is depicted in Table 3, the identified categories enrich the existing conceptualization of returning behaviour into planned and unplanned, and provide a more grounded basis to uncover the diversity of returning behaviour.…”