Are you at the mercy of internet haul culture? Mammoth orders with multiple sizes and colors of the same garment ending in mammoth returns…it's not ideal. Why are shoppers buying in bulk only to return their purchases? What's the real impact on brands like yours, and—most importantly—how can you tackle the negative effects? Let's get into it!
What is haul culture?
Haul culture is a consumerist movement triggered by shopping haul content on social media and YouTube. Unfortunately, haul videos have steadily turned toxic, with content creators placing increasingly large orders more frequently to stand out. And it’s starting to cause major issues for everyone.
Haul culture is hugely damaging to the environment and normalizes rampant consumerism to a viewership who can't necessarily afford to shop this way. And, as it turns out, some content creators can't afford it either…
Staging
Social media users are starting to indulge in something called 'staging.' They're ordering large hauls or expensive items purely for the flex of it all, taking social media pics or filming videos featuring the new items before returning everything for a full refund to avoid footing the bill long term.
Bracketing
Haul culture has led to a rise in 'bracketing' — the process of buying garments in multiple sizes and colors to try on at home before returning all the unwanted clothes and (hopefully!) keeping the one they liked best. And it's rampant. In a recent study on returns, 62% of respondents admitted to bracketing.
Wardrobing
Shopping haul culture has also caused an increase in ‘wardrobing’, where shoppers order an item to wear once or twice before returning for a refund. The item literally becomes part of that person’s wardrobed collection before making its way back to the seller.
How does haul culture impact you?
As you've probably guessed, haul culture has a hugely negative impact on brands. Returns cost retailers $890 billion in 2024 and have doubled in volume since 2019. Worse yet, 'buy now, pay later' schemes allow customers to purchase on credit and return before the first installment, meaning they never pay a penny.
Believe it or not, it does get worse. E-commerce returns contribute up to 24 million metric tons of CO2 each year, making up 25% of total emissions (compared to 7% for in-person store returns). With new legislation under the European Green Deal set to hold retailers selling into Europe more accountable, spiraling returns have the potential to hit even harder in the future.
The final nail in the metaphorical coffin is the havoc haul culture and its affiliated buying trends can cause on your available stock levels. The constant influx of returns clashing with bulk purchases makes it incredibly difficult to know what you have and where, while simultaneously chipping into your stock of best sellers due to worn, wardrobed returns.
So, what's the solution?
You might not be able to stop consumers from over-buying and returning (although some brands are trying), but you can set up a system that reduces the damage. The first and easiest method is to amp up your online sizing guides. Make them super easy to see on the product page and give thorough item details, including measurements in inches and centimeters.
You could also share info on the fit per garment — let ‘em know if this particular item runs true to size or whether the fabric and cut make it larger or smaller than standard sizing. You could go further and give guidance for achieving specific fits, such as a cropped or oversized look, using the sizing guide.
RFID retail tech is also a fab way to mitigate the damage of returns and haul culture. RFID labels are uniquely encoded per product and scanned at needlepoint, during transit, and at each stage of the sale journey, so you’ll have tons of reliable, real-time data to help you figure out trends and patterns. Use it alongside customer feedback to really hone your product information and sizing guides per garment. For example, if you’re getting tons of returns on a particular garment with ‘poor fit’ as the reason, you’ve got solid data you can action ASAP.
RFID is also great for inventory management (up to 99 percent accuracy without manual counts, would you believe?!). No matter how much is coming in or going out, you’ll have a good handle on your volumes. More than that, you can use it to help in-store customers locate and order their perfect size and color.
Are you ready to tackle shopping haul culture with RFID labels? Contact our team and ask how RFID could solve your specific pain points — they’re problem-solving masters and know the tech inside and out. They haven’t met a labeling project they didn’t like or couldn’t do and are always happy to help (especially where haul culture is concerned!).
