How to manage bracketing: The ultimate survival guide for omnichannel brands

For omnichannel brands, managing inventory is already a high-wire balancing act. Now, add bracketing into the mix - where customers order multiple sizes, colours, or styles and return most of them - and suddenly, it feels like walking a tightrope while juggling stock levels, rising costs, and customer expectations.

Bracketing is more than just a returns headache. It’s an operational challenge, a profitability risk, and a logistics nightmare - especially during peak seasons when warehouses are already stretched to their limits. But what if you could turn bracketing from a burden into an opportunity?

That’s exactly what fulfilmentcrowd’s latest eBook, ‘How to manage bracketing’, sets out to do. Based on our dedicated research, it offers exclusive insights, statistics, and proven strategies to help retailers stay ahead of the curve while keeping customers happy. If you're serious about navigating the world of omnichannel fulfilment without losing your mind (or margins), this is a must-read survival guide.

Why bracketing is a problem retailers can’t ignore

Bracketing isn’t just a minor inconvenience. It can be a major profitability problem.

• Bracketing contributes to £6.6 billion in online returns annually in the UK
• Returns take up 20% more warehouse space and labour capacity than outbound orders
• The average return costs retailers 21% of the original sale price - cutting deep into already tight margins.

It’s no surprise that 73% of retailers rank returns as a moderate-to-severe issue. The reality is, bracketing makes inventory management unpredictable, inflates costs, and clogs up logistics networks. And during peak periods, these issues snowball into major operational disruptions.

What’s inside the eBook?

This isn’t just another ‘returns are expensive, so you’re screwed’ guide. This eBook breaks down why bracketing is happening, how to predict and manage its impact, and how smart fulfilment strategies can reduce costs while improving customer experience.

1. The psychology behind bracketing

Why do customers bracket in the first place? Our research uncovered key motivations:

• 40% prefer trying items at home rather than in-store (and we’re in agreement here; we HATE the lighting in changing rooms too!)
• 34% cite inconsistent sizing across brands as their main reason for bracketing
• 20% struggle with unclear sizing guides, making them unsure of what will fit
• 12% are influenced by social media trends, leading them to bulk-buy fashion ‘hauls’.

By understanding these motivations, retailers can proactively reduce the need for bracketing in the first place.

2. Strategies to reduce bracketing and cut costs

The eBook outlines practical solutions that don’t just shift costs onto the customer.

• Enhancing product descriptions and sizing guides

• 45% of shoppers say more accurate size charts would reduce their need to bracket
• Including real customer reviews and photos can significantly lower returns.

• Leveraging AI and virtual try-ons

• 18% of shoppers believe digital fitting rooms would make them less likely to bracket
• AI-powered recommendations can guide customers toward their best-fit purchase.

• Introducing incentives for ‘first-time right’ purchases

• Loyalty programs and discounts for non-bracketed purchases encourage smarter buying habits
• Faster shipping for exchanges instead of refunds keeps stock moving efficiently.

• Smart return policy adjustments

• Tightening return windows during peak seasons prevents unnecessary returns
• 28% of shoppers say they’d be less likely to bracket if a small return processing fee applied per item.

3. Warehouse and fulfilment strategies to manage bracketing at scale

Returns management can make or break profitability. Our eBook reveals how fulfilment technology and warehouse optimisations can reduce the operational burden of bracketing.

• AI-driven inventory tracking to predict and adjust stock levels dynamically
• Real-time order visibility to sync inventory across multiple channels
• Automated returns processing to speed up stock reintegration and reduce waste
• Dedicated returns areas and pre-sorting to avoid warehouse bottlenecks.

The brands that win at managing bracketing aren’t those that fight against it, but those that build fulfilment strategies that absorb and mitigate its impact.

Why omnichannel brands need this guide

Omnichannel brands are hit hardest by bracketing because customers expect a seamless experience across every sales channel - whether they’re shopping on a website, through social commerce, or in-store.

Many fulfilment providers struggle to handle the complexity of omnichannel returns, leading to:

• Delayed restocking that causes stock shortages in key locations
• Higher return processing costs due to inefficient workflows
• Frustrated customers who expect quick refunds and replacements.

This is exactly where fulfilmentcrowd stands apart.

With intelligent inventory management, global warehouse networks, and automated returns processing, we help omnichannel brands:

• Reduce costs without compromising customer experience
• Turn returns into resale opportunities with fast stock reintegration
• Streamline omnichannel order management to keep every sales channel aligned.

While many fulfilment providers struggle to handle omnichannel returns, we’ve built our technology to thrive in this space.

Download the eBook today

Bracketing isn’t going away, but managing it effectively is what separates profitable retailers from struggling ones.

Our eBook is packed with original research, expert insights, and proven strategies to help omnichannel brands tackle bracketing head-on.

• Understand why customers bracket
• Reduce costs while keeping shoppers happy
• Optimise warehouse and fulfilment operations for peak efficiency.