Online Fashion Giant Targets Serial Returners with New Charge
- Asos introduces £3.95 fee for high returners from October 8th
- Asos Premier members also affected
- Customers with low-value orders will be charged
- Fewer than 10% of customers impacted, says Asos
- Retailer aims to manage rising costs and improve profitability
Asos is implementing a new returns policy, introducing a fee of £3.95 for customers with high return rates starting from October 8th. Asos Premier members will also be affected but only need to keep £15 worth of items to avoid the charge. The retailer claims that this change applies to a small number of shoppers as part of its efforts to manage rising costs and improve profitability. Impacted customers have started receiving notifications, while unaffected ones were informed last week. Asos stated in an email: ‘We want to give you a heads-up about some updates we’re making to our Fair Use Policy that will affect your future orders with Asos. We know how much our customers love Free Returns and will continue to make Free Returns available to all UK customers, but as part of a small group of customers with a frequently high returns rate, you’ll only get Free Returns when you keep £40 or more from your order. If you keep less than £40 from your order, we’ll deduct £3.95 from your refund.’ The move comes after Asos altered its free returns policy in the US last year, with shoppers now charged $4.99 for returns considered unsustainable.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides accurate and objective information about Asos updating its returns policy, including details on the fee for regular returners and the impact on Asos Premier members. It also includes reactions from customers on social media regarding the changes. The article is not overly dramatic or sensationalized, and presents a balanced view of the situation.
Noise Level: 4
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about Asos updating its returns policy and includes customer reactions on social media, but it could benefit from more analysis or context on the broader industry trends and potential impacts of this change.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Asos’s stock and related fashion retailers
Financial Rating Justification: The article discusses changes to Asos’s returns policy, which may impact its financial performance and potentially affect the company’s stock price. It also mentions that other online fashion retailers may be affected by the trend of increasing return costs.
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: Other
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: Minor
Extreme Rating Justification: The article discusses Asos updating its returns policy, introducing a fee for customers with high return rates. This change may cause some inconvenience to affected customers but does not represent an extreme event.
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