Unwanted Christmas presents set to rise on busiest day of the year for returns

Three quarters of people who purchased women’s clothing are returning their unwanted gifts

Online shopping has exacerbated the amount of gifts returned (Getty)

The number of unwanted Christmas gifts returned was set to soar on Tuesday with the first working day of the year expected to be the busiest for returns.

Royal Mail said early in the day that it expects to see double the December average for returned parcels. The spike is expected to have been particularly fuelled by so many people shopping online, and therefore not trying before they buy.

Clothing is expected to be the most commonly returned item, with seventy-five per cent of people who purchased women’s clothing returning unwanted gifts.

According to a study by the postal service, the majority of clothes are returned because the item did not fit the intended recipient.

Footwear and electrical goods are also among the most commonly returned Christmas gifts, Royal Mail said.

It also found that most shoppers expect free returns to be offered by retailers. Just under half of shoppers questioned said that they are unlikely to shop with a retailer if it charged for returns.

“Having an easy way to return online purchases is a crucial part of the online shopping experience. For retailers everywhere ensuring their returns experience is in line with consumers’ expectations is incredibly important,” said Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail’s parcel division.

Online sales as a proportion of all retailing hit an all-time high of 17 per cent in November, according to official Government data, helped by Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales ahead of the Christmas shopping season.