Parcel delivery customers are turning their backs on retailers that do not offer good returns policies, according to new research.

A poll of 2,000 online shoppers by Collect+ found that 58 per cent of shoppers who have had a bad experience with parcel deliveries or returns will permanently refrain from using the retailer.

This could make up a significant amount of business - particularly as more than one in ten shoppers report feeling left out of pocket by poor returns policies.

Around £1.3 billion worth of goods are returned to sender each year.

Chief executive officer of Collect+, Mark Lewis, said failings in online returns are the "dark secret of retail" and stores should be prepared to lose custom if they fail to deliver.