
Retailers have spent years perfecting outbound delivery. Speed, choice and tracking have all improved. But in 2026, the real competitive advantage won’t come from how fast you ship an order out – it will come from how intelligently you bring one back.
Returns now sit at the centre of customer experience, cost control, sustainability, and supply-chain design. They affect loyalty, margins, working capital, fraud risk, and operational efficiency. Yet many retailers still treat returns as an afterthought, bolted onto the network rather than built into it.
2026 is the year that changes.
This is how forward-thinking brands are redesigning their logistics networks around returns – and how ZigZag can help.

Most retailers know their return rate. Very few know their return reasons, return routes, cost-to-serve by method, refund speed by carrier or patterns of abuse vs loyal behaviour.
A modern returns network must be data-led from the first mile to the last decision.
Key datasets to map:
Retailers that model these inputs early gain clarity on where to place consolidation hubs, which carriers to use, and how to route each parcel to the most profitable outcome.
ZigZag’s analytics suite gives retailers the visibility needed to build networks around facts, not assumptions.

Legacy returns systems still send everything back to a single national warehouse. It’s simple – and expensive.
By 2026, returns are routed dynamically based on value, speed, and recovery potential.
For example:
ZigZag enables this routing automatically through its global network of 200+ warehouses and 1,500+ carrier services across 170+ countries.
The goal: every return finds the best next home.

Returns demand flexibility. Not every customer will print a label. Not every country accepts QR codes. Not every carrier performs equally in the return leg.
Ultimately customers value ease and flexibility. That means getting a convenient returns option that is local, familiar, and cost-effective. In fact, 89% of consumers indicated its important to have multiple convenient returns options available.
You can read more about why you should have multiple carriers on your network.
Retailers designing their 2026 network are:
ZigZag’s network is built for flexible returns-first routing, ensuring the outbound carrier no longer dictates the return method.
Fast refunds used to be a “nice to have”. In 2026 they are a competitive advantage.
Why?
Because the faster you refund, the quicker the customer re-spends.
And the quicker you inspect stock, the faster you can resell it at full value.
Our recent research found that retailers took 7.3 days to refund a customer on average. However, by the 6th day, most customers stated they were frustrated. A small, but significant majority are calling up customer services within 4 days.
To refund quickly you require:
Retailers using ZigZag typically see significant improvements in refund speed, resulting in higher repurchase rates and stronger customer retention. For Lands’ End, we shaved multiple days off the refund for international return by grading in-country.

In a high-return category like fashion, fraud isn’t occasional – it’s structural.
2026 networks need proactive controls, not reactive policies.
Serial returners are responsible for around a quarter of all returns despite representing just 8% of returners in 2025. We expect serial returners to climb again in 2026, now that the initial shock of ASOS’s, and other retailers, announcements they were banning serial returners.
That means:
With ZigZag’s fraud signals and data-driven routing, retailers can protect margins without punishing good customers.
Returns generate avoidable emissions and waste. Retailers will face increasing regulatory and consumer pressure to address both.
A 2026-ready network must:
ZigZag removed more than 38 million pieces of paper last year through label-free QR returns alone – a small example of how operational changes can deliver meaningful sustainability impact.
Whilst sustainability isn’t just a badge, it doesn’t mean you can’t signpost sustainable practices to consumers and educate them. Highlight the greener carriers, like electric vehicle fleets and methods that use a centralised collection centre, to show remind consumers of their eco-friendly options.
30% of consumers claimed they had no idea what returns options were even the greenest. So tell them.

Returns intelligence shouldn’t sit in isolation.
It should feed:
Returns are one of the richest sources of truth in retail.
The most successful brands in 2026 will be the ones who use that truth to shape the rest of the business.
2026 belongs to retailers that design returns in from the start.
Not an afterthought.
Not a cost centre.
Not a burden.
A well-designed returns network improves:
ZigZag’s platform, carrier network and analytics capabilities give retailers the infrastructure to build a returns-first logistics strategy – one that’s faster, greener and more profitable.
If outbound delivers the promise, returns protect the relationship.
In 2026, both matter equally.