thredUP Launches ‘Thrift Cards’ to Cut Holiday Waste & Serve A Rising Wave of Conscious Consumers

A new study shows that ‘responsible retail’ is on the rise and it’s driving a shift to thrifted gifts.

Holiday waste has gotten out of hand: 145 million unwanted gifts are given each year¹ and over a billion pounds end up in the trash². However, as consumers demand more sustainable options from retailers, secondhand is trending as a responsible and unique gift. A new study shows that nearly 1/2 of shoppers would consider gifting secondhand clothing this holiday season, and 56% said they would welcome used gifts for themselves³.

 

Introducing thredUP’s #TheGiftOfThrift

Today thredUP, the world’s largest online thrift store, launches holiday ‘Thrift Cards,’ as part of a new #TheGiftOfThrift campaign, to help consumers give more unique and sustainable gifts.The campaign speaks to the environmental benefits of gifting thrift, along with the fun of the treasure hunt.

 
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As part of the launch, thredUP has set a goal to displace half a million new gifts with thrifted gifts this year — the carbon equivalent of taking 300K cars off the road for a single day ⁴.

 

Why the Shift to Thrifted Gifts

 
 

“In years past, there’s been a stigma around gifting secondhand. It’s exciting that the tides are turning and we’re seeing those perceptions shift. As consumers demand more sustainable options and are increasinglybored by the experience of retail, secondhand is quickly surfacing as a responsible and unique gift option.” —Erin Wallace, VP of Integrated Marketing at thredUP

 
 
 
 

thredUP launches ‘Thrift Cards’ to cut holiday waste & serve a rising wave of conscious consumers

  • Accenture’s Survey reveals that secondhand gifts will be among the biggest trends this year. Nearly ½ of consumers would gift secondhand clothes, and even more would welcome used gifts.

  • thredUP is seeing a surge in secondhand gifting. thredUP data shows that secondhand shoppers have already increased spend 56% this season, and overall holiday season sales are trending to be up to 84% higher than last year. Further, according to a recent survey, 45% of thredUP customers purchased secondhand gifts last year, and 79% plan to do so this year — an increase of 75%.⁵

  • GenZ are choosing used over fast fashion. In a survey to consumers who have bought secondhand, 8 in 10 GenZs plan give thrifted gifts this season. 84% of those GenZs plan to replace gifts they would have bought from fast fashion brands like Forever21 and Zara.

  • The shift to thrifted gifts impacts new retail sales. Shoppers cite the following as top reasons why they’ll shift gift spend away from traditional retail and towards resale:

  • 1) The uniqueness — 72% want to give a gift that lets their loved one stand out from the crowd.

  • 2) The environment — 67% want to give a gift that has a lower carbon footprint than new clothes.

  • 3) The value — 52% want to give a gift that allows their loved one to get more for their money.

  • 4) The treasure hunt — 51% want to give a gift that’s more of an experience than a retail store.

 
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For more on what’s driving the destigmatization of thrift, visit thredUP’s 2019 Resale Report →

 

The Best Eco-Gifts of the Season

Based on Accenture’s report, 45% of shoppers in the U.S. said they are more likely to buy from environmentally or socially conscious retailers and 62% plan to buy gift cards specifically. What’s more, 70% of thredUP customers say they would prefer to receive a gift card to get what they actually want and cut the waste. With clothing/footwear topping the list of planned purchases, these are the perfect e-gifts for the conscious consumers on your list:

  1. Give #theGiftofThrift with thredUP.

  2. Give her a closet in the cloud with Rent the Runway.

  3. Give them renewed outerwear with Patagonia.

  4. Give them stylishly recycled staples with Everlane.

  5. Give them consciously crafted footwear with Allbirds.

 
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About thredUP: thredUP is the world’s largest fashion resale platform, inspiring a new generation to think secondhand first. The company has spent the past 10 years reinventing resale, building a marketplace and infrastructure now poised to power the $50B resale economy and usher in a more sustainable fashion future. Millions of consumers use thredUP as the easiest way to sell their clothes and shop over 35,000 brands at up to 90% off — online, in stores or via “try-before-you-buy” Goody Boxes. Backed by world-class investors, thredUP designed a resale engine that has redistributed nearly 100 million unique garments from closets across America and is now powering resale for the broader fashion industry via its Resale-As-A-Service (RAAS) platform.

 
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Sources:

(1) 45% of 327M Americans will try to return at least one gift.

(2) 5B pounds of all returns end up in the trash. 25% of returns occur during holidays.

(3) Accenture 2019 Annual Holiday Local Shopping Survey.

(4) Via GreenStory data: 17.44 lbs of carbon displaced for every item bought used instead of new. 28.44 lbs of carbon displaced for every car taken off the road for one day.

(5) thredUP Holiday 2019 Customer Survey

Read More on thredUP’s Past Holiday Insights: