Secondhand is making an even bigger impact this gifting season. A recent survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by OfferUP revealed that 78% of shoppers are likely to buy pre-owned gifts for the holidays. With conscious shopping being a driving factor, 86% of gift-givers will price-compare potential gifts on resale platforms before making a purchase. Of these deal-seeking shoppers, 29% will specifically be hunting for items that are sold out or unavailable firsthand to covet unique, hard-to-find gifts.
Whether shoppers are financially or sustainability-driven, we’re seeing a big shift into conscious giving that is driving interest in new holidays like Secondhand Sunday and Green Monday. Ahead of the curve, Girlfriend Collective, ASRV, and For Love & Lemons, amongst many more, joined the resale movement this year by launching their pre-loved experiences with Treet. By embracing resale, these brands can:
Build stronger relationships with eco-minded consumers who value sustainability
Increase traffic to their site when shoppers search for secondhand gifts
Boost site conversion rates during the peak season, since 43% of shoppers are more likely to purchase from brands that offer resale
Increase LTV with current customers by offering resale as a way to earn extra cash towards holiday shopping
Reduce warehouse waste and returns by providing a path to rehome items
If you’re a brand that has embraced resale, don’t forget to include your resale site in your holiday marketing plans. Here is your 11-step master guide to maximize your holiday sales with branded resale:
Add brand new listings – Not all items in your resale site need to be pre-loved. Utilize your resale site to offload sample, returned, or off-priced inventory that is still New With Tags (NWT). Shoppers are more likely to buy NWT items when shopping secondhand during the holidays, as these items can be perceived as being more valuable and giftable. The Treet Resale app is a great way to do this!
Incentivize your sellers - Encourage more peer listings by offering more brand credit to your sellers. Brands on Treet have seen success with increasing their brand credit to 110-150% in celebration of secondhand holidays like Green Monday. More listings mean more sales and greater ROI when sellers redeem their credit on your main site.
Offer a discount on your resale shop - Run a sitewide sale on all brand-direct items to clear out aged inventory before the holidays. Our partner brands, like James Street Co and ettitude, have offered up to 50% on Brand Direct items to make room for new, upcoming collections.
Homepage Spotlight - This holiday season, feature your resale site prominently on your brand's homepage to showcase pre-loved gifting options.
Highlight your NWT peer listings - Limited in inventory to offload? There’s a good chance your customers have many ‘new’ or ‘like-new’ listings on your resale site to showcase instead! (FYI we are highlighting Like-New items on the @treetshop Instagram constantly!)
Be Anti-Black Friday - Stand out from the crowd and the sea of promotions by taking a stance against Black Friday by only featuring your pre-loved marketplace.
Plan an exclusive drop - Channel the appeal of unique pre-loved finds by releasing an exclusive collection of archived prints or sold-out inventory. These in-demand pieces have proven to drive revenue for your brand and will excite customers with rare secondhand finds.
Create a Gift Guide – Don’t limit your gift guide to just ‘new’ items. Include a mix of pre-loved and new pieces to show the range of your offerings and appeal to every type of consumer.
Redirect traffic on Green Monday – Be bold this holiday season and consider running a “no new things” campaign on Green Monday (Dec. 11th) by driving traffic to your resale site.
Work with your PR team - There are many reporters looking to highlight alternative ways to save money and shop more sustainably this holiday season. Ensure your resale site is showcased as a solution by doing outreach with your PR team.
Partner with an influencer - Influencers have established trust and engagement with their audience. Their recommendations carry weight and convert to sales. By partnering with an influencer this holiday season, you're sharing your resale site with an entirely new audience.
Brands that embrace resale are poised to capitalize on the booming secondhand shopping market this gifting season. If you're a brand with a resale site, be sure to include it in your holiday marketing plans. If you are a brand that has not yet launched a branded resale experience, reach out to us here and we’ll help you get set up in less than a week, just in time for the holidays!