This year we talked to over 15,800 consumers worldwide and expanded our research to include a few key inquiries around Christmas purchases and returns. The results indicate that 77 percent of consumers plan to return a portion of their gifts, with nearly 20 percent expecting to return more than half of their presents (sorry grandma!).

Despite the big return expectation, it's not all bad, especially if you're prepared to capitalize on identified traffic. While 32 percent of consumers noted they plan to return gifts via mail, 65 percent intend to return them to the store, giving retailers another opportunity to engage.