Consumer Behavior

AI data issue driving product returns

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November 2, 2026

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Nearly half of U.S. shoppers, 46%, who bought an item based on an AI recommendation have returned one item in the past year.

That's a top finding from Blue Yonder's 2026 Consumer Retail Returns Survey that also revealed the top reasons for shoppers returning an AI-driven purchase are that it was different than described and/or an incorrect size of fit.

The data also revealed that just one in five U.S. consumers trusts AI to recommend the right size and fit, and more than eight in 10 would cut back at a retailer that limits their returns, according to a press release.

Blue Yonder provides an AI-driven platform and multi-tier network for supply chain strategies. Now in its fourth year in the U.S., the survey polled more than 5,000 consumers across the U.S., Australia, France, Germany and the U.K., including 2,000 Americans.

"Shoppers are taking AI's advice faster than retailers are getting ready for it, and nearly half of them are sending something back," Duncan Angove, CEO of Blue Yonder, said in the release. "That's not really an AI problem. It's a data problem. An AI assistant is only as good as the product information it can find, and most product data was written for a search bar, not for a machine suggesting products for someone. When what arrives doesn't match what the shopper expected, it goes back in the box."