Bangor Named Britain’s ‘Returns Capital’ as Shoppers Search for Help Sending Purchases Back

Bangor has emerged at the top of a new UK study examining where consumers are searching most frequently for information about returning purchases and getting refunds.

The North Wales city recorded an average of 3,187 return-related Google searches per month for every 100,000 residents, putting it ahead of every other city included in the research.

The analysis, carried out by courier marketplace Porta Delivery, examined 73 UK cities and more than 100 search terms connected with product returns, parcels and refunds.

These included general searches such as “return parcel” and “start a return”, alongside queries relating to individual retailers and delivery companies, including “Amazon returns”, “Evri returns” and “Royal Mail returns”.

Researchers also included refund-related searches such as “refund status” and “where is my refund”.

Importantly, the figures do not mean that Bangor residents actually return more parcels than people elsewhere. Instead, the study measures the relative frequency with which people search online for information connected with returns.

Bangor Tops UK Returns Search Rankings

Bangor’s figure of 3,187 searches per 100,000 residents narrowly placed it ahead of Wells, which recorded 3,138.

Ely was third with 3,023, followed by Armagh at 2,943 and Ripon at 2,713.

The findings are particularly striking because many of the places at the top of the rankings are relatively small cities rather than Britain’s biggest retail centres.

To account for differences in population, researchers normalised the search data to show average monthly search volumes per 100,000 residents.

The resulting rankings were:

Northern Ireland was particularly well represented towards the top of the table, with Armagh taking fourth place and Newry sixth.

Chichester was seventh, followed by Truro and Lichfield, while Stirling was the highest-ranked Scottish city in tenth position.

At the opposite end of the research, Nottingham recorded the lowest level of return-related search activity, at just 257 searches per 100,000 residents.

Why Are Bangor Shoppers Searching About Returns?

The research does not establish why Bangor has such a high rate of return-related searches, and the figures should not be interpreted as evidence that shoppers in the city are necessarily sending back more purchases.

However, the study found that searches relating to particular retailers accounted for a significant proportion of demand nationally.

Queries involving the returns processes of Amazon, ASOS, Zara and SHEIN were among those highlighted by the research, suggesting consumers frequently turn to search engines when they need instructions for returning an online purchase to a particular company.

Ed Spece, CEO and Co-founder of Porta Delivery, commented:

“What stands out is that many of the cities generating the highest levels of return-related searches are smaller locations rather than major metropolitan areas. Bangor’s position at the top of the rankings is one of the most interesting findings in the data, particularly given that it sits ahead of much larger UK cities. Northern Ireland also stands out more broadly, with several of its towns and cities appearing prominently in the rankings. This suggests there may be more to the search demand for returns information than simply the size of a local population or retail market.

“Retailer-specific return searches, such as those for Amazon, ASOS, Zara, and SHEIN, dominated the search volumes across much of the UK, reflecting how consumers increasingly search for help returning items to specific retailers rather than seeking general returns information.

“Nottingham’s position at the bottom of the list is one of the most surprising findings, given its reputation as a major shopping destination. It could suggest that cities with strong high street retail scenes see fewer online returns because shoppers have already tried items in-store.”

The final point is one possible explanation rather than a conclusion demonstrated by the search data itself.

Online Returns Remain a Major Issue for Retailers

The Bangor result provides an interesting snapshot of the way consumers are navigating an increasingly online retail environment.

Returning unwanted goods has become a routine part of internet shopping, particularly in sectors such as fashion where customers cannot physically see, handle or try on products before ordering.

For retailers and delivery companies, returns also represent an important commercial challenge because every unwanted item potentially creates additional transport, processing, warehousing and administrative costs.

The new research suggests that understanding how to make those returns remains a common concern for consumers – and nowhere in the UK did return-related searches stand out more strongly on a population-adjusted basis than in Bangor.

Research and data: Porta Delivery
https://portadelivery.co.uk/