The National Retail Federation’s 10th annual Return Fraud Survey is currently under way, and we are looking for your participation to help provide the entire retail industry with the most complete and productive survey to date.
Return fraud costs retailers billions of dollars every year and continues to present challenges for retailers and their loss prevention/asset protection teams. The methods currently being used to perpetuate return fraud are only growing more sophisticated as criminals look for new methods to return stolen merchandise, manufacture and use counterfeit receipts, or return items previously worn or used that are not defective. As a result, honest and legitimate customers often face difficulties such as shorter return windows, limitations on the types of products that can be returned, and other inconveniences as retailers attempt to respond to potential return fraud issues.
Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, operating more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments and supporting one in four U.S. jobs—42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is the daily barometer for the nation’s economy.
As retail continues to evolve, it’s important to gather thorough and inclusive data that represents the needs and perspectives of the retail industry as a whole. In response, the Return Fraud Survey is seeking senior loss prevention executives representing the spectrum of retail to include discount stores, department stores, drug stores, supermarkets, specialty retailers, chain restaurants, internet retailers, and any and all other retail formats that experience return fraud issues to participate in the annual poll.
As a thank you, those who participate by November 10 will be entered into a random drawing to receive one full registration pass to NRF Protect 2016. Your feedback is pertinent in developing best practices in all areas of retail asset protection and helping our leaders in Washington understand the gravity of some of retail industry’s issues.
As to not duplicate answers from companies, only the most senior loss prevention leaders or equivalent within your company should complete the survey in order to limit responses to one per company. NRF will also make sure to send survey respondents a copy of the full report once it is released in December.
The NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants, and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. To learn more or to receive a PDF copy of the Return Fraud Survey, please contact Bob Moraca, vice president of loss prevention for the National Retail Federation at moracar@nrf.com.
You can also access the survey directly by going to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2015NRFReturnFraudSurvey