RECOMMERCE is one trend that keeps on rising amid retail change during the pandemic and is indeed here to stay, according to the 2022 research on digital disruption trends by the Carousell Media Group (CMG) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau Southeast Asia and India (IAB SEA+India).
The report, which was presented in their recent webinar, provides an overview of the attitude in shopping and sustainability of consumers in the region.
In the Philippines alone, 75 percent of Filipino consumers prefer sustainable and eco-friendly brands.
Nine out of 10 or 92 percent—millennial and Gen Z groups being the majority—like products made from natural ingredients; and 90 percent favor local products as they perceive them to be healthier and better for their wellbeing, as they support the local economy and help generate jobs.
According to CMG Head of Client Strategy Saniya Gupta, these new generation of shoppers drive the shift to recommerce and are proud in having pre-loved items in a more sustainable way through marketplaces like their platform to do so or resell items they no longer use.
“My prediction for the future is that secondhand will be the first choice in the near future, and that recommerce will be as ubiquitous as e-commerce. But in order to achieve this, companies like Carousell need to continue providing a full funnel seamless process in shopping with services like authentication, shipping and returns policy, that the e-commerce services can provide right now,” she said.
The study also revealed some of the ways consumers address environmental concerns, such as purchasing fewer new items, buying and selling second hand on Carousell, bringing bags when shopping, and looking for sellers and brands with sustainability ethics and manufacturing processes.
In fact, 55 percent of Filipinos have purchased or sold pre-loved items on the platform, while 25 percent choose to buy items from sellers with sustainability practices.
“We’re seeing everything from mundane daily tasks to health and self-development being enabled from your mobile device. We also see that Carousell’s hyper-engaged audiences are prioritizing sustainable shopping to protect the planet,” IAB SEA+India Regional Chief Executive Officer Miranda Dimopoulos said.
“It is also gratifying to see that our Carousell marketplaces are now synonymous with sustainability and social ethics, and we have seen a quantum increase in usage of our recommerce marketing platforms over the past two years,” she added.
With the movement gaining ground, brands and other online selling platforms will eventually start leveraging on sustainability by helping ethical consumption and normalizing second-hand buying as consumers’ first choice in the long run.