ACI Worldwide Inc. has released its annual Global Ecommerce Report, revealing a sharp 18.1% surge in global retail refund transactions and a 12.7% increase in refund value for 2025. The data, based on billions of retail transactions, highlights a significant pressure point for retailers as refund activity peaked during the holiday season, with November and December accounting for about 20% of all annual refunds. December alone saw a refund rate of 2.89%, compared to the 2.25% average for the rest of the year. While eCommerce transaction volumes grew by 28.3% and transaction value by 34.3% year-on-year, the rising prevalence of refunds is threatening retailer margins, especially with the extra costs associated with reverse logistics, inventory depreciation, and fraud. ACI Worldwide recommends that retailers adopt AI-driven, real-time fraud and refund management to curb losses and maintain customer experience as refund volumes continue to rise.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. ACI Worldwide Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief via Business Wire (Ref. ID: 20260202280601) on February 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.