eBay has been at the forefront of sustainable shopping since its inception.
In fact, the marketplace’s global fashion general manager Kirsty Keoghan points out that the first item sold on the website back in 1995 was a broken laser pointer, proving that “even back then one person’s junk was another person’s treasure”.
However, eBay has been a driving force in the recent trend towards secondhand clothing.
Keoghan tells ShopTalk Europe that there has been a “big change in people’s perceptions of shopping pre-loved, particularly in fashion” and a real shift in previously held stigmas.
eBay has helped remove those stigmas through its sponsorship of Love Island for the past two years. Keoghan believes the so-called “Love Island effect” is removing the stigma around buying secondhand clothing.
“Through Love Island, we’re bringing attention to some of society’s most important issues, so partnering with one of this audience’s most-watched TV shows helps us to hammer the pre-loved message home,” she told Retail Gazette earlier this year.
The partnership bolstered the online giant’s Google traffic, with 881% more searches for ‘eBay preloved’ and 359% more for ‘eBay preloved clothes’ compared to before the show.
eBay data now shows that 95% of millennials buy pre-loved. “It’s not just a young person’s game, people are much more aware of the effect of their purchasing decisions,” she says.
eBay research has revealed that 90% of its shoppers have bought pre-loved in some way, however, Keoghan says the firm is “trying to create a behavioural shift”, instead of trying to make everyone shop pre-loved because “we have to be realistic”.
“We’re nudging not judging,” she says.
Although the drive to be more sustainable is influencing some shoppers to snap up secondhand goods, Keoghan says there is another important factor behind this trend: value.
She says that “refurbished items are better value”, with saving goods from landfill providing a secondary benefit for some shoppers.
“Whether your motivator is value or not, there is a ripple effect,” she explains.
Helping retailers to become more sustainable
One element Keoghan is particularly proud of is how eBay has helped “to remove the barriers for smaller brands without the reach or resources” to embrace circular fashion.
It is helping big brands too. eBay’s brand outlet programme gives retailers a channel to sell their end-of-season inventory, something that Keoghan says firms have struggled with.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
The marketplace has also launched its Imperfects collection – the fashion equivalent to supermarkets’ wonky veg initiative – which offers clothes, shoes and accessories that is considered new but with defects, from over 100 high-street and high-end designers.
Brands such as North Face, Off White, Puma, Fila, and Timberland sell imperfect at up to 60% off with eBay through the initiative that launched last April.
eBay clearly highlights the flaws to customers before the items are sold through the Imperfects initiative.
“Before that, they didn’t have anywhere for those items to go,” says Keoghan.
A host of retailers have entered the resale space in recent years, from PrettyLittleThing to Levi’s, which Keoghan welcomes.
“The more competition the better because it pushes us to do the best possible job for our consumers and for the planet.”
She says this trend is driving much change across the industry. “We haven’t seen anything as big as recommence, driving the circular economy for fashion brands”.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
