The buying and selling of second hand clothes online is booming, with more and more consumers flocking to sites such as Vinted. We explore the consumers driving this trend and how they can be engaged.
Among the savings consumers have sought to make since the onset of the cost-of-living crisis, spending less on clothes whilst still buying their most coveted fashion brands has been one of the most prominent.
This explains – in part – why the proportion of adults in Britain who buy second hand clothing online from sites like Vinted and Depop has surged in recent years and continues to rise quickly.
TGI data shows that just in the past year the numbers claiming to buy from such sites has increased by almost 20%, generating plenty of interest from marketers seeking to tap into this popular trend by better understanding this audience.
It’s a market primarily driven by women, with 79% of those who claim to buy second hand clothes from these sites female. It is not, however, a particularly a young-oriented audience, with around 11% of those in any age range up to age 65 claiming to buy second hand clothes online.
Those who buy second hand clothing online from sites like Depop and Vinted are also particularly likely to buy products that are sustainable and ethical, which, alongside financial considerations, explains the attraction of such sites to this group. Messaging oriented towards these values is therefore more likely to engage this audience.
They are also more likely to use social media for fashion inspiration. Indeed, they are far more likely than the average social media user to engage with this medium heavily.
To reach this audience on social media it is important to understand what else they are engaging with on these platforms. TGI reveals that as well as clothing, the topics that are most popular with them on social media include food/restaurants (49% claim to follow this content), music (47%) and health/fitness (44%).
Influencers and content creators can also represent a good means of reaching this audience on social platforms. TGI shows they are 26% more likely than the average social media user to follow more than 100 influencers or content creators, with over three quarters of a million of them doing so.