How is love playing its part in consumerism?
Consumers of all age groups are often exposed to ever-changing trends in homewares, fashion and aesthetic through traditional means of marketing, including television advertising, billboards and visual merchandising. However, as we focus on fashion consumption, we understand the difference between ‘fast fashion’ and ‘second-hand’ industries, and how consumers are choosing the better of the two.
Described by Freya Evans, Louise Grimmer and Martin Grimmer in Consumer orientations of secondhand fashion shoppers: The role of shopping frequency and store type, the fast fashion industry involves generating large volumes of clothing and accessories in aims of tracking the current trend and making their product available for the average consumer. Unfortunately, fast fashion’s “focus on efficiency, productivity and profitability, often ignores the ecological and social consequences of current manufacturing and consumption practices.”
“Globally, the fast fashion industry creates 92 million tonnes of waste per year and uses 79 trillion litres of water,” as explained in Do you shop for second-hand clothes? You’re likely to be more stylish by Louise Grimmer and Martin Grimmer.
Opposingly, the second-hand industry revolves around pre-loved belongings including clothing, accessories and homewares being sold and purchased. Reiterating the familiar household slogan, reduce, reuse, recycle. Globally, second-hand shopping has existed for decades, however, has been associated with a negative stigma. This stigma is associated with concerns including “perceived poor product quality, lack of cleanliness” and outdated items, as mentioned by Evans, Grimmer and Grimmer.
As of late, consumers are flipping the script and the second-hand market is thriving. Included in Grimmer and Grimmer’s article, “in the 2020-21 financial year, 72% of Australians purchased at least one item of second-hand clothes”. In the article is also a prediction by James Reinhart, CEO of online second-hand retailer Thredup, that “the second-hand market will be double the size of fast fashion by 2030.”
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Speaking with Louise Grimmer, she said we will see change but suspects it will be “really slow” while society transitions to a different perspective and stigma surrounding second-hand industries.
Traditionally, second-hand retailers included thrift stores, defined by Evans, Grimmer and Grimmer as “non-profit retail outlets selling donated clothes with profits being passed to fund humanitarian causes or charitable work,” or stalls at a community or flea market. Across Australia, The Salvation Army is one of the largest chain of thrift stores, operating over 330 Salvos Stores. Retailing second-hand items including clothing, furniture, they provide a source of revenue to charity and deliver goods to those in need.
Reported by Claudia Burgio-Ficca for IBIS World, “a rising number of stores, a reliable workforce and an increasing volunteer base have driven revenue growth across the organisation’s Salvos Stores.”
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In this day and age, factors including the internet and the global COVID-19 pandemic have assisted in consumers learning to appreciate the experience of second-hand shopping. It “offers the opportunity to buy ‘one-off’ and unique pieces, as opposed to fast fashion,” as explained by Evans, Grimmer and Grimmer.
“A lot of the influencers on Instagram for example, are all these second-hand clothing heroes who are really pushing this and making it cool,” she said.
It has become a focus for second-hand retailers to appeal to consumers through visual merchandising and categorising their products as the fast fashion industry do. Grimmer says, they are recognising they are a viable alternative to fast fashion and “getting their act together.”
It is an experience after all, and retailers are encouraging this by creating a fun and lively environment for consumers with music and in some cases, food and beverages. However, organisation in a second-hand retail environment may not always be an expectation for consumers. Defined by Grimmer, a sports shopper enjoys the thrill of the unknown, sorting through an array of random items to find a treasure.
Evans, Grimmer and Grimmer describe the role “nostalgia-proneness” plays in second-hand consumerism. “Nostalgia is the longing or fondness for the past, and possessions associated with earlier times,” being a reason most consumers value second-hand items and the possibility that they may find a timeless piece. Grimmer explains, “it may not be new but it is new to you,” enforcing the idea that a pre-loved item can be loved again, creating depth to consumerism.
