Online fashion stores fighting back against serial returners with ‘smart tag’ that stops items being worn in public
CHEEKY shoppers who repeatedly buy clothes, and wear them - before returning their order to the store - will soon have their cost-saving hack scuppered.
Online fashion stores are set to introduce a new "smart tag" which will ward off serial returners.
Known as the R-Turn Tag, it can be attached to the front of clothing by retailers to stop the item being worn in public.
The red tag, developed by security experts at Checkpoint Systems, can be twisted safely off in order to make a garment wearable.
However, it can not be re-attached, meaning that the customer would not be able to send it back and request a refund.
At present, serial returners - who practice what is known as "wardrobing" - cost the industry £1.5billion a year.
The makers of the "smart tag" are currently in talks with a number of fashion websites in the UK.
It is understood that eight in ten online shops are "very concerned" about how costly serial returning is to their business.
Often when items are worn and then returned they show signs of wear and damage, meaning they cannot be re-sold.
In these cases they have to be shredded, burned or recycled.
A study by Checkpoint found that one in five people regularly buy items to use and return.
This rises to 43 per cent for those aged between 16 and 24 years old.
It comes as ASOS started deactivating the accounts of "serial returners".
Earlier this month, Fabulous' fashion editor argued why it's okay to keep tags on a dress and return it after it’s been worn once.
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