Black Friday fuels record December spike in returns
New figures from returns specialist ReBound Returns show that the opening week of December has once again become the busiest period of the year for customer returns, with volumes last year rising by around 80% following Black Friday promotions.
The company, which processes millions of parcels each peak season for retailers, said the first days of this December are tracking a similar pattern.
ReBound reported that the first week of December last year marked the highest volume of customer returns on record. The uplift followed heavy discounting around Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when retailers pushed promotions across online and physical channels.
Data from Nationwide showed that Black Friday on 28 November 2025 generated a record 11.9 million transactions in the UK. ReBound said that while shoppers responded strongly to the deals, a significant portion of products later went back.
Earlier research from the company, based on a YouGov survey of 2,000 consumers in October 2024, found that roughly one in three shoppers return purchases made during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The findings underline the operational impact of promotional events on retailers' logistics and warehouse operations.
In 2024, returns activity reached its highest level on Monday 2 December, which coincided with Cyber Monday. Many retailers had brought Black Friday offers forward, which allowed orders to arrive sooner. Customers then returned items within days of delivery.
ReBound said early data for 2025 indicates a similar uplift on Monday 1 December. That suggests the weekly pattern of sales, deliveries and rapid returns has become established around the Black Friday period.
A second spike in returns appeared in early January 2025. ReBound measured an average rise of 59% at that point, which it linked to products bought around Christmas and Boxing Day.
Rapid return decisions
The company said shoppers now decide quickly which items they want to keep. This behaviour compresses the returns window into a short period immediately after major sales events.
"Black Friday deals and holiday shopping drive larger baskets, but not every item is kept," said Brian Cotter, Head of Customer Experience, ReBound Returns. "Shoppers decide quickly which items to return, often sending them back within days. For retailers, the challenge lies in quickly inspecting and processing returns for resale. A high volume of uninspected returns can sit in warehouses, off the shelves and out of circulation, resulting in lost sales opportunities during the critical countdown to Christmas."
ReBound said the concentration of returns in the narrow window between Black Friday and Christmas places pressure on retailers' warehouse staffing, sorting and quality control processes. It also affects stock availability on websites and in stores as unsorted items remain in the returns pipeline rather than on sale.
The company described the weeks after Black Friday and the post-Christmas period as two distinct returns peaks. Both require planning around transport capacity, storage space and inspection areas in distribution centres.
Retailers and logistics providers now expect high levels of order volatility around major discount days. Many brands run extended promotional periods, which spreads outbound volumes but still funnels returns into tight clusters as customers make fast decisions about unwanted items.
ReBound said it processes parcels for retailers across multiple countries and channels. The company works with both online-only brands and traditional high street chains that offer returns in store and by post.
The returns specialist is part of Reconomy, which focuses on services linked to the circular economy. It said growing attention on sustainability and waste reduction has increased interest in how quickly and efficiently products move back into stock once customers send them back. ReBound plans further analysis of this year's Black Friday and Christmas trading data as more returns pass through its network in December and January.
