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Research Question The online-channel has gained fundamental importance for retailers. However, especially selling experience goods such as apparel is accompanied by high rates of product returns (PR), as those often need physical inspections prior to a keep-or-return decision. Since PRs still implicate immediate bottom-line impact due to costs and decreases in net sales, optimization of PR-rates is a key topic for online retailers. In this context, a comprehensive understanding of customer PR-behavior is imperative to managers as it allows for better PR-related decisions (e.g. with regard to marketing measures, PR-policies and processes). Interestingly, European online fashion retailers observe remarkable discrepancies in PR-rates between countries. This raises questions upon drivers of PR-behavior and--at the same time--offers interesting opportunities to further examine antecedents of return behavior, including the potential impact of cultural values. We address these topics by assessing the moderating effect of individual cultural values in an adapted model based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. Our research questions are thus as follows: 1. How do customers' attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control affect their intentions to return products after online shopping? 2. What is the moderating effect of cultural values in this context? Method and Data We obtained a unique survey-dataset on real customers from four different countries in cooperation with a large European online fashion retailer. Our measurement instrument is based on established and validated scales, and was pre-tested in a separate sample of 58 participants for refinement and validation purposes. The main study was conducted in September 2015 by distributing an online survey to a random selection of customers, who had been active during the last 3 months before. The survey yielded 338 responses by customers from Italy (180), Germany (83), Sweden (44) and France (31). According to our partner firm, the mean participant age of 37.3 years and the female share of 76% in our sample is representative for their customer base. Translations and back-translations into French, Italian, German and Swedish were conducted by different native bilingual persons or persons with professional translation experience. We use commonly accepted approaches to test for potential common-method, non-response and informant bias. For our analyses, we use AMOS and SPSS to run confirmatory factor analyses to refine our measurement models, and to run hierarchical regressions with interaction terms to analyze the hypothesized moderator effects. Summary of Findings Customers' intentions to return products after online shopping are influenced by their attitudes and subjective norms (the opinions of important others) towards PRs. In other words: The more favorable the views, opinions or evaluations of customers and their important others are towards PR, the larger is the a priori acceptance of PR while shopping online. With regard to the moderator effects of individual espoused cultural values, according to our hypotheses, the direct effect of customers' attitudes on their intentions to return is positively moderated by masculine cultural values, while the direct effect of subjective norms on intentions to return is positively moderated by feminine cultural values. Key Contributions Our contribution is threefold, as we (1) successfully adapt Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior and thus extend its field of application, (2) apply the concept of individual espoused cultural values in a new context and (3) enable managers to take more adequate PR-related decisions, by expanding the research on antecedents of PR behavior. As customers' attitudes and subjective norms affect customer return intentions, online retailers may consider to mildly influence the attitudes of their customers and of the public with regard to the consequences associated with PR via a wide range of communication channels, ranging from private (e.g. via emails) to public channels (e.g. TV commercials). However, content and communication channel should be selected very carefully, as a mere demonization of PR is likely to affect the firm-customer relationship and thus also repurchase-intentions negatively. Moreover, as the effects of attitudes and subjective norms vary depending on the individual cultural values espoused by the customers, online retail managers can--bearing our findings in mind--tailor practical measures more adequately by e.g. adapting the content and intensity of communication to respective customer groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Question While product returns (PR) are regarded as an unwanted, but integral element in the firm-customer exchange process in ecommerce, they are associated with a series of implications and consequences. First, PR diminish net sales and are costly. Second, they potentially harm the environment. Third, PR imply a series of process steps and thus effort and hassle for the customers. Albeit these diverse consequences, existing studies have-to our knowledge-so far neglected the influence of customers' evaluations on PR on their PR-behavior. In this study, we put customers' views and evaluations about PR into the center of our attention. We furthermore explore the underlying beliefs based on which these views and evaluations are formed. We therefore draw on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and attempt to answer the following research questions: 1. How do customers' intentions to return products after online shopping affect actual rates of product return in ecommerce? 2. How do customers' attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control affect their intention to return products after online shopping? 3. What are the underlying beliefs which lead to the formation of customers' attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control towards product returns? Method and Data In order to test and refine the measurement instruments of our main study and to freely elicit salient customer beliefs, we conducted a pilot study with 58 participants. We therefore used open questions for the belief elicitation part and analyzed the qualitative inputs with regard to content and frequency, thus identifying the most frequent beliefs. We then included two items for each belief in our main study to assess the validity of the beliefs elicited. Our main study was conducted in cooperation with a large European online fashion retailer by surveying customers in France, Germany, Sweden and Italy who had been active within a 3-months timeframe before. Since a unique customer- ID was used for each of the 338 participants, we are able to match the questionnaire data with actual transaction-data. We use established scales for our survey and apply commonly accepted approaches to test for potential common-method, non-response and informant bias. In order to assess model fit and to test for hypothesized effects, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and used structural equation modelling in AMOS Graphics 23. We furthermore use a MIMIC-model to assess the influence of the beliefs elicited before. Summary of Findings Our initial results suggest customers' intention to return to influence their actual PR-behavior. Furthermore, customers' intentions to return are influenced by their attitudes and subjective norms (attitudes of important others). With regard to the underlying beliefs that lead to the formation of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control, we find different sets of beliefs to be dominant. First, instrumental or hedonic behavioral beliefs associated with the facilitating role of PR ("reduced risk of online shopping" and "enabler to forgo shopping trips to local stores") are found to significantly influence the formation of attitudes towards PR. Surprisingly, other salient-but rather negative-beliefs such as "potential environmental damage," "reduced consumer awareness" or "economic losses for local retailers" are not found to be significant in this context. Furthermore, customers regard their online retailer and their parents as important, when forming subjective norms. Third, "return stickers" and "reusable packaging material" delivered with the package as well as an easy PR-process are regarded as important, when forming PBC. Key Contributions With the present study, we expand of the research field on drivers of customer product return behavior, helping future research to build more adequate research models and hypotheses. We adapt Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior to a new field of application and give further confirmation to it, as we find significant relationships using real data on actual behavior, while many other studies (on other types of behavior) only have access to self-reported data. Based on the results of our study, practitioners might consider to mildly influence the image of PR (e.g. by mildly educating customers regarding the negative side-effects of PR), thus influencing customers' attitudes and subjective norms. They can design communication measures to influence the views and evaluations of customers towards PR in a more targeted way, as our study provides evidence for the underlying beliefs that lead to the formation of their views and evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As e-commerce still experiences phenomenal growth rates, online retailers struggle with high product return rates as an unwanted, but indispensable side-effect of their business. Interestingly, European online retailers experience substantial discrepancies between return rates in different countries. While this observation raises more questions upon antecedents of customer return behavior, it also offers promising research opportunities. What are underlying drivers of return behavior? What might be the influence of cultural values on return behavior? In order to address these questions, we combine concepts from cross-cultural research and social psychology, as we assess the moderating effect of cultural values in a model based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. Despite common difficulties of acquiring data from actual customers, we gathered a unique cross-country and cross- cultural dataset by surveying real customers in cooperation with a large European online retailer. Our results suggest customers' attitudes towards product returns and their social environment to influence return intentions. Furthermore, we find these relationships to be moderated by cultural values, being weaker or stronger depending on individual espoused masculine/feminine cultural values. We thus contribute to a better understanding of the antecedents of return behavior and expand various fields of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]