At its core, wardrobing is a form of first-party fraud. It happens when a shopper buys an item that they intend to use or wear just once, then return it to get their money back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is actually a pretty common occurrence. According to the National Retail Federation<\/a>, return fraud scams like wardrobing (among others) are estimated to cost the retail industry $12.6 billion in lost sales each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is just one return fraud tactic; others like tag switching and refund services<\/a> are growing concerns, too. We have a full article about different return fraud attack methods, which you can check out here<\/a>. Today, though, we're going to focus specifically on wardrobing and the threat it poses for retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What can merchants do to protect their businesses from this fast-growing retail threat? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n Wardrobing is a type of return fraud committed by legitimate shoppers who buy wearable or usable items with the intention of returning them after use. For example, an expensive outfit that is worn once then returned, or a book that is returned after reading.<\/p><\/dd><\/div><\/dl>\n\n\n\n In short: if a person buys something, with the intent of using it then returning it, that's a case of wardrobing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, this new trend in fraud is becoming quite popular with the public. A recent study discovered that<\/a> one in five shoppers have engaged in wardrobing at some point. As many as 43% of shoppers aged 16-24 will continue the trend in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRecommended reading<\/h3><\/div>
What is Wardrobing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n