The power of words: Examining the impact of message framing of online return fees on customers' behavior.

E-commerce has become an integral part of our lives, with online sales surpassing 5 trillion USD in 2022. However, the surge in online sales has also led to a significant increase in product returns, resulting in substantial costs for retailers and adverse environmental impacts. This phenomenon is particularly relevant in online fashion retailing, with return rates averaging 50%. Retailers have attempted to combat this issue by implementing return fees, but the willingness of customers to pay such fees remains low. Therefore, this study addresses the gap between three crucial areas—return fees, message framing and online shopping behavior. Unlike prior research that has examined these aspects in isolation, this work addresses their combined influence, making a notable contribution to existing literature. Consequently, this study aims to identify what effect message framing has on customers' online shopping behavior. For that reason, a survey-based experiment was conducted. The findings indicate that while fees can mitigate excessive returns, message framing is able to significantly influence customers' perception as well as their willingness to pay. Limiting factors to the study were the sample selection, the geographical context as well as the focus on online fashion retailing. Nevertheless, while some things could be supported from existing literature, new implications and contributions can be made due to the findings of this study.