On-the-spot try-ons: Paris post offices introduce fitting rooms for online shoppers

La Poste's new fitting rooms save consumers the time and hassle of a second trip to the post office after trying on a garment at home and deciding to send it back. Besides convenience, the initiative could offer sustainability benefits, too.

Return rates for apparel are shockingly high. They cut into retailers' profits and are a massive waste of resources. Most stores offer 30-day returns, and customers often wait until that window is about to close before mailing a package back. Yet the faster an item is returned, the more likely it is to be resold instead of ending up in a shredder, incinerator or landfill.

Which is where La Poste's fitting rooms come in. Encouraging people to try on garments and immediately return them if they're not satisfied can shave days or weeks off the return process, allowing retailers to restock items sooner. For La Poste, meanwhile, the concept presents a potential advantage in the fiercely competitive e-commerce logistics market.