Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Retailers need to look beyond the transaction to build customer loyalty

By Samir Kamnani, Senior International Programme Manager at Loop

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching, bringing one of the biggest tests of the year for retailers. Shoppers are looking for value, retailers are under pressure to protect margins and AI is reshaping how people discover, consider and buy products.

During peak trading, those pressures are amplified. More orders mean more opportunities to convert customers, but also more opportunities for something to go wrong: an order needs changing, a parcel is delayed or damaged or a customer receives the wrong item.

For retailers, the opportunity is to make those interactions work harder for both the customer and the business.

Consumers are judging the whole experience

Our latest research at Loop, conducted among more than 1,000 UK consumers and 200 retail decision-makers^[1], shows how important each phase of the customer journey has become.

More than half (55%) of British shoppers say they have stopped shopping with a retailer or abandoned a purchase because of its returns policy, while 61% say they always or often check a retailer’s returns policy before making an online purchase. YouGov^[2] research supports this, finding that 51% of UK consumers say a retailer’s returns policy has influenced their decision to buy from them.

What’s important for retailers to note is that customers are considering what happens after the purchase before they have even made it. They want flexibility if something doesn’t work out, clarity around delivery and straightforward ways to manage their orders, exchanges and refunds. They also expect the experience to feel connected, which makes the customer journey a commercial consideration, not just an operational one. This becomes particularly important during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when customers are often shopping across multiple retailers and making decisions quickly. A smooth experience can help a brand stand out long after the initial transaction.

Every interaction can influence loyalty

Checkout is one of the most important moments in that journey, and its role is evolving. 80% of British shoppers abandon their carts when their preferred delivery options aren’t available, according to DHL’s^[3] 2025 Ecommerce Trends Report, based on research among 24,000 online shoppers across 24 markets.

A good checkout gives customers confidence to complete their purchase and create opportunities to protect revenue and improve the experience beyond the initial transaction.

Loop’s Checkout+ allows shoppers to pay a small fee at checkout for free returns, giving retailers a way to offer greater flexibility while helping to offset the cost of returns. Package Protection can give customers greater reassurance against issues such as loss or damage in transit, while helping retailers manage the financial and operational impact of delivery problems.

Then there is the opportunity to catch a return before fulfilment. Order editing can give customers greater control over their purchase. This matters hugely during Peak season when every return that can be avoided before an item has been picked, packed, shipped and delivered, removes cost and complexity from the operation while creating a better experience for the customer.

Delivery updates can reduce uncertainty so when a customer does need to return something, the experience can create an opportunity to retain the sale through an exchange. Personalisation using AI can use shopper and product data to suggest relevant alternatives within the return experience, helping retailers encourage exchanges, reduce refunds and retain more revenue.

Returns are revealing a change in shopping behaviour

The way people shop online has changed, and returns are a clear example. Our research found that 32% of consumers deliberately order multiple sizes or colours intending to return some of them, a tactic called ‘bracketing’. They cannot try on a dress, test a pair of shoes or compare a product in person before buying, so flexibility can give them the confidence to complete the purchase. On the other hand, whilst it builds confidence for customers, this can pose some economic challenges for retailers.

Returns generate processing, transport and inventory costs, while fraud adds further pressure. Our research found that 31% of consumers admit they have sometimes or often provided an inaccurate reason for a return, while 26% admit to returning a different item from the one originally purchased.

Technology can help retailers manage that complexity without creating unnecessary friction for customers. Our research found that 56% of retailers still rely on manual reviews to identify suspicious returns, while only 16% use AI or machine learning to detect fraud.

AI can help retailers identify risk, understand customer behaviour and make better decisions across the journey. Loop Intelligence, for example, powers fraud detection, product recommendations, smart exchanges and forecasting using data from 230+ million shoppers and 100 million returns.

Peak season requires a connected journey

Retailers have invested heavily in attracting customers and converting them all year so it’s crucial to connect more of what happens around the transaction now.

Product discovery, checkout, order management, delivery, returns and exchanges all generate valuable customer signals. Bringing those experiences and insights together can help retailers improve both the customer experience and commercial performance.

The commercial opportunity is significant for UK businesses. Our research found that 76% of retailers agree that the returns experience has a significant impact on customer loyalty, yet only 6% identify customer churn as one of their biggest post-purchase challenges. That gap deserves attention.

Retailers that connect these moments have an opportunity to turn the post-purchase customer journey into a genuine competitive advantage.

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^[1] https://www.loopreturns.com/reports/returns-revenue-gap/

^[2] https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/53017-free-returns-and-flexibility-what-uk-shoppers-expect-from-retailer-return-policies?

^[3] https://www.dhl.com/gb-en/ecommerce/uk/content-hub/press-centre/dhls-e-commerce-trends-report-2025.html?