Zalando shortens return period in some (but not all) countries

Zalando is limiting the time customers have to return an order to thirty days, instead of the previous 100. The new rule does not apply everywhere (yet?), with some markets clinging to the old conditions.

Decreasing stocks

From today, Zalando is adjusting its return policy in certain markets. The fashion webshop says that more than 90 % of its customers return products within thirty days. Convincing the other 10 % to return more quickly as well means that those items are available to other customers faster. This also allows the platform to reduce its stock levels.

In addition, the adjustment provides an opportunity to test “new features”, that will make shopping at Zalando even easier, spokesperson Gilbert Kreijger promises. He does not yet name those new features, but it is known that the fashion marketplace has been working on personal advice through AI for some time, including a chatbot and experiments with a virtual fitting room.

While the adjustment applies to the Netherlands, it does not to Belgium. Currently, Zalando limits the return period only on the Dutch, German and Italian markets. The e-commerce giant promises that returns will nevertheless remain free of charge, so that customers can try their ordered items on at home and only keep what really fits.