{"id":2332,"date":"2021-05-19T09:30:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T07:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/?p=2332"},"modified":"2021-05-24T12:40:17","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T10:40:17","slug":"when-second-hand-crashes-against-consumers-trust-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.lineapelle-fair.it\/en\/focus-en\/when-second-hand-crashes-against-consumers-trust-2\/","title":{"rendered":"When\u00a0second-hand crashes against consumers\u2019 trust"},"content":{"rendered":"

Second-hand is the must-have of the moment. To such an extent that brands have come to upgrade its mission even from a creative point of view, retrieving their rich archives. At the same time, though, they are investing massively in platforms for the reselling of \u201creal\u201d used goods. But success, in spite of the pressure of demand, is not to be taken for granted, as Zalando explains\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zalando<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0needs no introduction. And neither does their financial report, which, in the first quarter of 2021, registered an exceptional growth <\/strong>by 46,8% of revenues, that reached 2,2 billion Euro in three months. What needs an explanation, if anything, is their decision, dating back to 2020, to start a project of retail inside their platform. A project that, a few months after being published online, gave the German e-tailer an occasion for thinking, that maybe they had not expected. Because what was once\u00a0vintage<\/strong>\u00a0and now is called\u00a0second-hand<\/strong>\u00a0can have a limit in\u00a0consumers\u2019 trust<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Zalando\u2019s service <\/strong><\/h4>\n

Zalando\u2019s pre-owned service allows registered users to sell and purchase second-hand clothing. Procedure is handled by the German headquarters. Articles undergo quality check, they are classified, for users to view them, and they benefit from Zalando\u2019s shipping, payment options and returns management. After selling, advertisers receive\u00a0a coupon to be used<\/strong>\u00a0on the same platform. Or else, they can make\u00a0a donation<\/strong>\u00a0to one of the two partners of the initiative: Red Cross Germany or WeForest.<\/p>\n

The pressure of demand\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Well, a few months later,\u00a0David Schneider,\u00a0<\/strong>co-founder of the German platform, explains the following to L\u2019Economia, insert of the Corriere della Sera daily magazine. \u201cOn the one hand, we notice a significant increase in the demand for second-hand items. On the other hand, we see a difference between purchase attitude and behaviour\u201d. A real dyscrasia, supported by meaningful numbers. \u201cA survey we made in 5 European markets, including Italy, highlights that\u00a061% of consumers<\/strong>\u00a0believe that buying second-hand clothing is a very good way to make sustainable purchases. While\u00a049%<\/strong>\u00a0think that brands offering a section or a dedicated shop help to act in a more sustainable way\u201d. So far, so good? Not at all.<\/p>\n

Consumers\u2019 trust<\/strong><\/h4>\n

According to Zalando, the last (definitive?) leap in quality is missing. \u201cWhen you go and see, what the real behaviour of consumers is \u2013 Schneider explains \u2013, you find out that\u00a0only 25% buy<\/strong>\u00a0 used products regularly. If you ask why we have this difference between intentions and habits, many report worries about hygiene and lack of convenient options<\/strong>. That is why, one of our strongest endorsements to companies is to use\u00a0a comprehensible language<\/strong>\u201d. What is still totally missing, in the end, is consumers\u2019 trust.<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/strong><\/p>\n