Global Trade

Can you call it ‘peak season’ if the returns never end?

The calendar flips, but operations don’t slow down. Stock is moved earlier to meet demand, return volumes rise, and the next sales cycle begins before the last one has cleared. For e-commerce teams, peak doesn’t end – it loops.

Returns start at checkout

A shopper opens the box, tries the item, and decides to keep it or send it back. Increasingly, that second step is already part of the purchase itself. Expectations are set before checkout. According to the DHL eCommerce Trends Report, one in two global shoppers mainly buys from retailers that offer free delivery and returns, while seven in ten say they won’t complete a purchase if they don’t trust the provider behind it.

What happens next matters. A smooth return reassures the customer and keeps them coming back. A complicated one does the opposite. The same research shows that nearly 79 percent of shoppers abandon their cart if the return process feels inconvenient or unclear.

Behind the scenes, those individual decisions quickly turn into volume. Parcels move back through networks; inventory needs to be inspected and redirected, and value depends on how fast the process runs. Items that re-enter circulation quickly retain margin. Those that don’t lose relevance by that day. As peak cycles repeat throughout the year, returns are no longer a follow-up to delivery. They are a defining part of the e-commerce experience for customers, and for the logistics operations that support them.

The expectations shaping every purchase

*as reported by the DHL eCommerce Trends Report

1 in 2

global shoppers buy mainly from retailers offering free delivery and free returns.

7 in 10

shoppers won’t buy if they don’t trust the delivery provider.

79%

of consumers abandon purchases when returns feel inconvenient or unclear.

72%

of global shoppers say free delivery improves the online experience.

Five ways to design returns for a peak that never ends

A world where peak keeps looping calls for a different operating mindset. Across DHL, that shift shows up in five practical ways – each focused on making returns faster, easier, and more resilient at scale.

Building for the delivery-return loop

If peak no longer has a finish line, operations can’t be structured around one either. Returns work best when they are built into the system from the start and planned with the same intent as outbound volumes. Capacity, transport, and inventory logic need to assume repeated reverse flows, not a single seasonal spike. The aim isn’t to eliminate returns, but to make them predictable, cycle after cycle.

Making returns easy for customers – and workable for operations

For shoppers, the expectation is simple: returning an item should feel as effortless as buying it. For logistics teams, delivering on that promise requires structure. Returns have moved closer to everyday life – buy online, drop off locally, no labels to print, clear status updates. Dense access-point networks make that possible. With around 170,000 access points across Europe, returns stay close to customers and move back into the system faster, even when volumes spike.

Speed protects value

Once a parcel comes back, the clock starts ticking. Every day a returned item sits idle; it loses relevance – and often resale value. Fast inspection, sorting, and redirection keep products in circulation and margins intact. Delays turn inventory into dead stock. At peak scale, speed isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the difference between recovery and write-off.

The scale behind modern returns

~170,000

access points across Europe allow customers to return parcels locally and easily.

42,000

electric vehicles already support DHL’s first- and last-mile operations.

32%

of Gen Z shoppers prefer label-free drop-offs using QR codes.

Up to 90%

value recovery is possible with fast returns processing.

When returns become a sustainability lever

Returns also shape the environmental footprint of e-commerce. Shorter routes, consolidated drop-offs, and electric vehicles in first- and last-mile operations cut emissions without adding friction for customers. Across DHL’s network, more than 42,000 electric vehicles already support these flows. Digital processes such as QR-based returns reduce paper waste and align with mobile-first behavior. This is especially true for Gen Z, where 32 percent prefer label-free drop-offs. Sustainability isn’t a separate initiative. It’s a direct outcome of returns that move efficiently, locally, and at scale.

Returns, rethought at scale

Across DHL Group, this approach comes together in e-commerce operations built specifically for high return volumes. In the US alone, returns reached $890 billion in 2024, underscoring the need for industrial-scale solutions. Following the acquisition of Inmar Supply Chain Solutions, DHL operates specialized returns facilities in North America set up for same-day inspection, restocking, resale, and remarketing – with the potential to recover up to 90 percent of a product’s resale value. By keeping products moving and recoverable, retailers reclaim value that would otherwise be lost while maintaining service levels through overlapping peak cycles.

As we navigate the ever-changing e-commerce landscape, understanding consumer behavior has never been more vital.

Pablo Ciano , CEO, DHL eCommerce

Peak, redesigned

E-commerce is one of DHL’s strategic growth accelerators, and returns are now inseparable from that growth. From the first click to the last mile – and on the return journey as well – DHL supports customers across the entire e-commerce value chain with scalable, end-to-end solutions.

As peak season continues to stretch and repeat, success depends less on surviving the rush and more on running operations without a reset. In a world where ‘peak’ keeps looping, returns are no longer a side process. They are part of how e-commerce works.