Plot twist of the decade: Vinted just became France’s #1 clothing retailer, beating Amazon, Zara, and H&M. The secondhand platform now sells more clothing by volume than any other retailer in France – the global center of fashion. Meanwhile, fast fashion giants like Shein landed in fifth place and Temu in 24th. Sustainable retail has become a business imperative that’s reshaping how we think about commerce – find out how.

Sustainable Retail On The Rise: Why Everyone’s Going Pre-Loved

It’s not just a French phenomenon. The global secondhand market hit $186 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.04 trillion by 2035, growing at a stunning 17.2% annually. Multiple forces are driving shoppers toward secondhand and circular shopping models:

The Price-Conscious Revolution

French consumers think primarily about price when buying clothing, with 36.4% of all clothing purchases made during sales and promotions. The European reCommerce market was worth €94 billion last year and is expected to grow 14% by 2027. When economic uncertainty hits, secondhand becomes the smart choice.

This price-first mindset is driving sustainable eCommerce shopping behaviors. 29% of British and 26% of French shoppers specifically turn to secondhand items during economic uncertainty – showing how financial pressure accelerates the shift toward circular commerce.

Gen Z’s Sustainability Drive

83% of Gen Z consumers have purchased or are interested in secondhand apparel, 10.7% more than the average across all age groups. For younger shoppers, buying pre-loved fashion is about values. They’re driving 60% of the projected secondhand market growth through 2029.

The Quality Treasure Hunt

Second-hand sales now account for 10.9% of all clothing sales volumes in France, with even higher rates among 18-34 year olds at 16.3%. Shoppers aren’t just hunting for bargains – they’re finding unique pieces, vintage gems, and high-end brands at accessible prices. 25% of secondhand shoppers want to find high-end brands for discounted prices.

The Environmental Wake-Up Call

32% of secondhand shoppers are driven by sustainability concerns. The fashion industry’s environmental impact is no secret, and consumers are voting with their wallets for more sustainable options.

Smart Retailers Are Jumping on the Bandwagon

Leading retailers aren’t waiting for the secondhand wave to pass – they’re building their own surfboards. Here’s how forward-thinking brands are capitalizing on the sustainable retail trend.

The pressure on enterprise brands is mounting. While 40% of French consumers choose large brands for their scale and resources, these same shoppers are among the most price-conscious in Europe: 60% would abandon brands over price increases. This creates a unique opportunity: enterprise retailers have the scale to offer both competitive pricing and sustainable options that smaller competitors can’t match.

The Platform Integration Play

Zalando launched its pre-owned category in 2020, allowing customers to buy and trade pre-owned clothing directly on their main platform. The program accepts apparel from over 3,000 brands and applies the same quality standards, fast shipping, and return policies as new items. While they discontinued their standalone Zircle app in 2022, Zalando continues to focus on pre-owned offerings integrated into their main shopping experience.

A Brand-Direct Approach

Major brands are launching their own resale programs rather than letting third-parties capture that value. 163 apparel brands now have resale programs, up 31.5% from 2022. Companies like Patagonia, IKEA, and Lululemon have built circular business models that extend product lifecycles while maintaining brand relationships.

The Authentication Solution

Premium secondhand platforms are investing heavily in authentication technology to build trust. Vinted launched a verification service for designer items, targeting the luxury resale market, where authenticity concerns can make or break transactions.

Ready to explore sustainable retail strategies? Discover omnichannel retail trends shaping the future of commerce.

The Service Ecosystem Expansion

Smart retailers are building comprehensive circular services beyond just resale. This includes repair programs, take-back initiatives, rental options, and upcycling services. Decathlon joined forces with other brands, a program aimed at accelerating footwear industry circularity through sole recycling initiatives.

Future-Ready Tech Stack: Making Secondhand Seamless

With 51% of consumers preferring to shop across multiple touchpoints, sustainable retail strategies must work seamlessly online and offline – from browsing secondhand selections on mobile to returning items for resale in-store. Here’s what modern eCommerce platforms need to support secondhand and sustainable retail:

  • Marketplace Functionality: Nearly two-thirds of retailers who offer resale say secondhand is integral to their long-term growth strategy. Platforms need native marketplace capabilities that allow third-party sellers, brand-direct resale programs, and peer-to-peer transactions – all within a unified experience.
  • Quality Control and Authentication: Trust is everything in secondhand retail. Modern platforms need integrated systems for quality verification, condition reporting, and authentication processes. 82% of retailers offering resale expect positive ROI, but only if they can maintain quality standards that protect their brand reputation.
  • Flexible Inventory Management: Sustainable retail involves multiple inventory types: new products, returned items eligible for resale, trade-in merchandise, and rental inventory. eCommerce return optimization becomes crucial when returns can be redirected into profitable secondhand channels rather than written off as losses.
  • Data Integration for Circular Insights: Understanding product lifecycles, resale value trends, and customer preferences across new and secondhand purchases requires sophisticated data analytics. Retailers need platforms that can track items from first sale through multiple ownership cycles.

The Circular Future Starts Now

The numbers don’t lie: the U.S. secondhand market will reach $73 billion by 2028. This is a fundamental shift in how consumers think about ownership, value, and consumption.

The retailers winning in this new landscape are the ones building composable commerce platforms that can adapt to circular business models, integrate multiple sales channels, and meet the evolving expectations of conscious consumers, such as Gen Y and Z.