Earlier this month, we hosted our first annual Archive Resale Summit at The Bowery Hotel in New York City. We brought our community of brand and logistics partners together under one roof to share ideas, problem-solve, challenge assumptions, network, and celebrate the brands shaping the future of resale.
We were thrilled to spend the day thinking big about the future of branded resale and what’s possible when we collaborate as an industry. Our goal was for our partners to leave inspired, with actionable insights and relationships that would help fuel the next phase of their resale journeys.
We didn’t want the format and vibe to feel like a traditional conference; instead, we wanted to encourage open dialogue and visionary ideas in a comfortable, relaxed, and creative environment. When we partner with brands, our team acts as a true extension of that brand—ensuring every resale business is scaling and hitting key growth metrics. The day left us feeling more than inspired by this group of leaders who are, in real time, building the playbook for retail’s next big revenue channel.
The Agenda
It was a jam-packed day, with programming that allowed for ample breaks and networking opportunities. From roundtable sessions, to cocktails on the roof—here were some of the highlights:
Keynotes
The day opened with keynotes from Archive’s Co-Founders. Our CEO, Emily Gittins helped anchor us against our ultimate mission to reduce overproduction. She shared an overview of the resale landscape, how the people in the room have shaped what branded resale looks like today, and Archive’s vision for the future.
Our CTO, Ryan Rowe, shared an insightful overview of our product vision and upcoming product roadmap. He (live!) demoed exciting new features coming to the Archive platform in the coming months, which had many brands’ wheels turning on how these product enhancements could scale their existing resale businesses.
Morning breakout sessions
Morning sessions were focused on tactical strategies to help brands grow and scale their resale business. Below, we outlined some of the learnings
Marketing strategies to grow your resale business
Build on the basics: Owned and paid marketing are now tablestakes for resale. The next opportunity is weaving it into the same campaigns and budgets that power mainline growth, positioning resale as a complementary lever for acquisition, loyalty, and storytelling.
Experiment beyond the usual channels: Brands are seeing outsized results from in-person activations and mainline integrations. Lululemon’s SXSW pop-up and Dr. Martens’ homepage placement both proved that meeting customers where they already shop can unlock major traffic and revenue gains.
Use data to tell the business story: Data is key to unlocking buy-in and dispelling cannibalization fears. On average, 50-70% of resale shoppers are new to the brand, and half later convert to full price - proof that resale grows the total customer base, rather than competing with it..
Building a flywheel of resale supply
Diversify supply channels early: For the vast majority of our partners, demand outpaces supply. Strong programs pull inventory from multiple streams—returns, trade-ins, peer-to-peer listings, and vintage collections—to balance volume and reach new customers
Treat returns as an untapped profit center: Unsold, damaged, or excess stock can fuel resale, helping brands recover margin, protect brand equity, and reinforce a broader circularity mission focused on keeping products in use.
Use data to build the flywheel: Every supply source reveals insights—what sells, who trades in, and how incentives change behavior. Tracking these signals turns resale into a self-sustaining growth engine.
Prepare early for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): California’s new SB707 makes brands responsible for product end-of-life starting in 2028. Early investment in circular models ensures compliance and creates first-mover advantage.
Leverage partnerships for compliance: Existing resale, repair, and recycling partnerships can count toward EPR requirements, giving current resale programs real strategic value. Early engagement with Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) can help ensure those efforts are recognized and credited.
Engage while the rules are still being written: Policy frameworks are still taking shape. Joining advocacy coalitions and sharing data on reuse can not only help shape fair, practical regulations, but also position brands as circularity leaders.
Afternoon breakout sessions
Afternoon sessions were meant to inspire engaging discussions that explore the long-term impact and business potential for resale. Below, some key takeaways:
How is resale contributing to your brand’s company-wide objections over the next 3 years?
Connect resale to existing KPIs: Leading brands are tying resale to core business metrics—revenue, acquisition, and retention—not just sustainability. When resale ladders up to executive KPIs, it earns visibility, resources, and long-term investment.
Use resale to drive acquisition, loyalty, and LTV: Resale is both an entry point and a loyalty engine. Peloton brings in new customers who might otherwise buy used elsewhere, while brands like Faherty see trade-in shoppers spending 2-3x more on mainline products - proof that resale multiples, not cannibalizes, growth.
Position resale as a Trojan horse for growth: Resale can advance company priorities like CX, retention, sustainability, and efficiency before it scales revenue. Forward-thinking teams use resale to elevate brand equity first, then use data storytelling to expand investment over time.
How are you as resale leaders getting broader company buy-in support across your organization?
Position resale as a business driver, not a side project: Reframe resale as a source of revenue and customer acquisition rather than a sustainability initiative. When resale supports mainline goals, it earns lasting traction and dedicated marketing investment.
Start with small tests to prove value: Data-driven pilots build credibility fast. Fjällräven’s ecommerce team A/B tested a top-navigation link to its resale site during a non-peak period and found it outperformed other destination pages—data that directly led to greater visibility and investment in the program.
Build champions across functions: Advocacy in marketing, finance, and operations is key. Aligning teams around shared metrics and incentives shows how resale drives revenue, efficiency, and brand equity across the organization.
Our mission is to drive substantial revenue and margin from resale, so that brands won’t need to produce so much new stuff. What needs to be true for this to happen?
Scale resale to move the needle: To meaningfully reduce dependence on new production, resale must grow to represent a larger share of total revenue. Achieving that scale requires cross-functional alignment, systems built for circularity, and a mindset shift: every past product is marketable inventory, not just what’s new this season
Build data loops between resale and design: Resale and repair data offer powerful feedback loops that can help design teams improve durability, material choices, and product longevity; while resale teams can learn from mainline playbooks on merchandising and CX. This exchange turns circularity into a continuous improvement machine.
Continue making progress toward producing less: While reducing production of new items remains the long term goal, resale is already helping brands recover value, surface product insights, and deepening customer understanding. Continuing to scale these efforts will bring brands closer to a model where circularity and profitability reinforce each other.
The Photos
We’ll let the photos tell the rest...
A few moments that capture the spirit of the day and the community leading resale forward!
.png)
