Greater than half of the UK grownup inhabitants have purchased a second-hand merchandise on-line within the final yr – and it’s not simply the youngest clicking away, as older shoppers are additionally driving the second-hand buying mega-trend, in keeping with Evri’s inaugural UK Ecommerce Pulse report.
The UK’s largest devoted parcel supply agency discovered that 55% of the grownup inhabitants – round 28 million – have bought a pre-loved merchandise on-line within the final 12 months. On the flip facet, 47% of adults have additionally offered a second-hand merchandise on-line over this era, highlighting how persons are additionally creating wealth from the pre-loved gadgets of their wardrobes, lofts or garages.
Youthful consumers are the engine of the pre-loved growth as greater than two-thirds, or 67%, of these aged 18-34 have purchased second-hand gadgets within the final yr. Maybe surprisingly, 61% of these aged 35-54 additionally shopped on-line for pre-loved gadgets within the final 12 months, as on-line marketplaces providing second-hand items change into a part of the lives of shoppers.
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, stated: “The pre-loved revolution in on-line buying remains to be in its infancy and we see an extended runway of progress forward. Whether or not it’s a need to buy extra sustainably, discover distinctive gadgets, or save and earn cash, shoppers have caught the second-hand on-line buying bug. The fact is that customers are discovering their very own properties and people of others veritable treasure troves of pre-loved gadgets from clothes to tech devices – and that is fuelling this bargain-hunting phenomenon on-line.”
He added: “Evri celebrated its 50th anniversary this yr and as a accomplice to many of the UK’s greatest retailers and on-line marketplaces, we proceed to see first-hand how pre-loved and different on-line buying habits proceed to evolve at tempo.”
Evri’s polling discovered that one in ten UK shoppers buy second-hand gadgets a number of instances a month.
The findings are supported by Evri’s personal knowledge – because it has witnessed first-hand the explosive progress of second-hand platforms, experiencing a staggering 160% year-on-year enhance in parcel volumes on these platforms.
That stated, there are some generational variations in buying behaviour, as solely 40% of these aged over 55 purchased or offered a second-hand merchandise within the final yr.
Evri’s Pulse additionally discovered that thriftiness amidst ongoing cost-of-living pressures was cited as the principle cause behind the rising demand for pre-loved buying, as 75% of these surveyed stated the necessity to save money led them to go bargain-hunting on-line. The recognition of second-hand websites has additionally soared as 30% of consumers take pleasure in looking for distinctive gadgets, similar to classic clothes.
Practically 1 / 4, or 24%, of respondents cited sustainability or diminished carbon footprint as a key cause for pre-loved buying, as shoppers have change into more and more conscious of the environmental impression of sectors, such because the fast-fashion trade. The analysis revealed a stark gender divide in attitudes in direction of the significance of buying sustainably – whereas a 3rd of girls cited sustainability as a cause for buying on-line for pre-loved gadgets, solely 18% of male respondents stated the identical.
Evri is dedicated to changing into the UK’s main sustainable parcel supply firm – focusing on net-zero emissions by 2035, with plans for the most important sustainable fleet within the sector and striving for 100% renewable vitality. Earlier in 2024, Evri introduced an additional £19m multi-year funding in sustainability to drive the corporate’s ambitions of tripling its fleet of e-cargo bikes from 33 to virtually 100.
For Evri’s Ecommerce Pulse, FGS International, the strategic communications agency, carried out an intensive ballot of 4,012 UK adults, weighted to be nationally consultant based mostly on gender, location, and ethnicity, between the fifteenth – twenty first of July 2024.
Business analysts anticipate the pre-loved market to proceed to develop strongly. In style alone, gross sales of pre-owned garments soared by 18% to $197bn (£156bn) final yr and are forecast to achieve $350bn by 2028, in keeping with GlobalData.
