Fragmented returns processes create consumer frustration
One of the biggest themes to emerge from our conversations at the Leaders in Logistics conference in Brussels was the growing frustration around fragmented returns experiences. Our recent trend report found three in four consumers want a single place to manage all their returns. One expert said their recent survey found customers returning multiple items faced entirely different processes for each, with “three different ways of returning them, with not one app showing the same functionality.” Another expert reinforced this challenge, stating, “Of course, this is the biggest question in the room, which app to use for returns?” further adding that the returns process currently feels “quite exhausting”.
Everybody from retailers, to consumers to industry experts agree that the returns journey is inconsistent and not built around consumers needs.
Consumers want more choice in communication
Our conversations at Leaders in Logistics highlighted growing demand for messaging-first customer experiences. Our 2026 trend report found that messaging has overtaken email and apps as the preferred channel for managing returns. Supporting this shift, a presentation at the conference reported that 70% of consumers now shop via mobile, highlighting increasing demand for conversational, on-the-go experiences.
As one expert explained: “Messaging is a reality, people expect that… it’s not a generational thing, it’s functionality.” Another noted that businesses need to meet customers where they already are, using familiar channels as consumers increasingly expect to choose how brands communicate with them, whether through WhatsApp, SMS, email or notifications. Yet many consumers feel this choice is missing, despite 74% saying it’s important to choose the channel they are communicated with by retailers.
Returns have become a loyalty driver
Our conversations made one thing clear: logistics is no longer just about getting parcels from A to B, it’s becoming a key driver of customer loyalty. As one industry expert put it, “The final contact of an ecommerce order for delivery or returns is central to the ecommerce experience,” with logistics increasingly shifting from fulfilment to customer experience. This matters when 75% of shoppers abandon a retailer after a frustrating returns experience.
Consumers expect returns to be simpler, more digital and easier to navigate. More than half struggle with printed labels, QR codes or confusing return options. One expert joked, “What’s a printer? You may as well have a fax machine!”
How stampfree.ai responds to this shift
stampfree.ai offers an appfree returns solution that enables consumers to initiate and manage returns through familiar messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Customers can start a return, receive updates and access support through a single messaging interface, with the process designed to take less than a minute to begin. This approach aims to streamline returns by providing a more accessible and conversational alternative to the current fragmented returns system.
