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Promoting a resale business today requires marketing efforts across three main verticals: owned platforms, paid media, and experimental channels. Owned and paid marketing—which include mainline site placement, blogs, emails, SMS, and paid search—are now considered table stakes for creating awareness and driving secondhand sales.
Beyond these marketing channels, resale is a great vertical for experimenting with new methods for attracting customers. While some executives are concerned that widespread resale marketing campaigns could cannibalize their mainline business, Archive data proves that resale programs support overall brand growth. Over 50% of resale customers make mainline purchases, up to 70% are new to the brand, and 80% of customers with credit from trade-in or peer-to-peer programs spend it on a full price item from the mainline site, according to our aggregated data across customers.
Below, we outlined five approaches that retailers are using to educate their customers about resale and to bring new shoppers into the fold:
Many of our brand partners are promoting resale in person through brick-and-mortar stores or pop-up events. The North Face, which recently opened a new store in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, has a dedicated section for Renewed gear, and Christy Dawn is integrating resale into its new Los Angeles store. These activations help educate customers about the quality, cleanliness, and wide selection of secondhand products.
In March, we partnered with lululemon to host The Like New Edit in Austin during SXSW. Lululemon partnered with local creators to create collections from the Like New program which were available for sale at The Peach House, a popular pilates studio. Following the sold out event, Like New traffic and sales in the local area quadrupled, underscoring the power of immersive and engaging experiences for secondhand shoppers.
Even though e-commerce is a growing segment of the retail industry, nearly half of Gen Z shoppers report shopping in-store to try on items for fit, evaluate quality, and get products immediately. By offering the pop-up events and in-store exclusives, retailers can meet the demands of omnichannel shoppers and introduce resale to customers who may not learn about it online.
Resale is also an avenue for showcasing a brand’s quality, heritage, and craftsmanship. The North Face, for example, participated in Milan Design Week with an installation that celebrated innovation in sustainable design through the Renewed REMADE program. The event included interactive workshops that raised awareness about circular design principles and the possibility of giving new life to garments through creative reuse.
Consumers rank quality as the most important factor when purchasing fashion, above price and value, according to the 2024 PMG State of Retail Survey. Many brands are leaning into marketing campaigns that highlight made-to-last products that can be worn again and again, ensuring their shoppers know there is inherent resale value in the items and highlighting the product qualities that shoppers are looking for.
Because resale businesses help support the growth of mainline sales—and vice versa—brands are now thinking about ways to integrate both sides of the business. When a mainline product is out of stock on the Dr. Martens website, for example, the brand has tested redirecting customers to the resale site. The lifetime value of Dr. Martens customers who shop ReWair are more than two times higher than those who don’t, which strengthens the case for integrating resale and mainline.
Other brands are integrating loyalty rewards and resale credits to keep shoppers connected to the brand regardless of whether they purchase new or secondhand. The case for doing so is solid—repeat customers typically account less than a quarter of a brand’s customer base, but generate almost half of total revenue.
While promoting resale on brand-managed social media channels is a given, affiliate marketing and experimentation with platforms like TikTok and Substack could be a smart way to grow awareness about secondhand offerings. Gen Z shoppers prefer TikTok and Instagram over Google for product searches, highlighting the importance of maintaining a presence across platforms.
New Balance learned that it had an engaged audience on TikTok after a video of a customer unboxing shoes from Reconsidered went viral in April. Meanwhile, lululemon has leaned on its existing influencer network—via its Creator Network and affiliate program through LTK—to promote “Like New” on TikTok and drive strategic creator commerce.
Together, these examples highlight how resale can thrive when brands meet shoppers where they already discover and discuss products.
Marketing teams should also consider reviewing the year ahead calendar to decide where resale might fit into existing campaigns or if there are seasonal events that could support promotion.
When Peloton launched its next generation of products in October, it messaged existing customers about Repowered so they could list their used equipment after upgrading. After just one day, listings on Repowered increased fivefold.
Separately, Christy Dawn leveraged Secondhand September across social media, emails, and SMS. It offered a discount on all inventory over six months old and a higher credit to customers who listed a sought-after dress within a specific timeframe. The campaign, which was extended from two weeks to a full month this year, resulted in a 89% increase in sales from the month prior and a 28% jump in traffic compared to 2024.
Experimental marketing campaigns like pop-ups, creative storytelling, and mainline integration bring resale programs to life by creating memorable, immersive experiences that resonate with ever-shifting consumer behavior. Pitching new marketing campaigns as a “test” to upper management often helps resale teams get approval for projects that otherwise may have been difficult to get off the ground. These fresh marketing strategies ultimately help reshape perceptions around secondhand fashion and drive awareness for quality products at a price point that attracts new customers.
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