Most UK consumers willing to receive second-hand gifts this Christmas

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Dec 12, 2019

Environmental concerns, price and nostalgia are driving a shift towards second-hand gifts this Christmas, with 90% of consumers saying they would have no issue with receiving a present from a resale marketplace.

The current economic uncertainty is leading hundreds of Britons to consider buying gifts on platforms such as Etsy, eBay and Depop, according to a new report from GlobalWebIndex. 

In fact, 62% of consumers would be prepared to purchase pre-loved gifts this year, found a survey of 2,154 UK consumers. 

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Chase Buckle, Trends Manager at GlobalWebIndex comments: “A key driver behind the growing popularity of resale marketplaces is the opportunity to buy rare and retro items. What’s surprising is feelings of nostalgia are not exclusive to older generations, with eight in ten millennials expressing they experience feelings of nostalgia (no matter how strong) at least occasionally, with four in ten saying they do so often. This is the market that second-hand marketplaces such as Depop and Carousell sell into very effectively.”

Indeed, nostalgia is a major motivator for shoppers, with 70% of those surveyed saying they would use eBay to buy a nostalgic item. 42% would opt for Amazon, 14% Etsy and 18% Facebook Marketplace.

Price is equally important for 50% of shoppers, as well as finding unique items (31%).

But buying products on online marketplaces can be a scary experience if sellers are deemed ‘untrustworthy’. 52% of consumers need to be reassured of the trustworthiness of the seller, 63% worry about the item’s quality and 49% about its authenticity, the report found.

Interestingly, quick deliveries are less important when it comes to buying collector’s items. 40% of Britons said they would happily sacrifice a fast shipping time to get a better price for an item.
 
Chase concludes: “This is a fascinating area we explored in our Trends 2020 report, “Connecting the Dots”. One of the most important things to bear in mind is the ability of nostalgia to forge an emotional connection with buyers – some who didn’t even experience a trend the first time it was popularised. 

“It’s a great sales tool which negates some of the more logistical aspects of online shopping, but successful brand and consumer interactions are steeped in authenticity and trust.”