The Netflix reality TV series ‘Tidying Up With Marie Kondo’ featuring Marie Kondo, a tidying expert, helps people clear out their clutter by following a process of selecting and categorizing items by section then asking participants to keep only the ones that ‘sparks joy’.
The reviews of the show have been generally positive. Social media feeds have been full of Marie Kondo articles and hashtags about the process and joy of decluttering, eventually catapulting #KonMari into a decluttering revolution.
This translated to a boon in the resale industry. Charity shops attributed around 10-20 percent increase in donations to their stores this year. Aside from seeing an increase in the number of donations received, it has also offered an unexpected boost to thrift stores and resale markets. Even reseller platforms like Carousell, Facebook Marketplace and OLX have increased activity and presence amongst Internet users.
In a recent resale report by ThredUp, there have been a rise of secondhand shoppers as 64% of women have bought or are now willing to buy secondhand products. Millenials and Gen Z are also driving the growth of secondhand as 18-37 year olds are adopting secondhand apparel 2.5x faster than other age groups.
Some retailers are also adapting as consumers no longer buy with the intent to keep, but rather, they consume with the intent to resell. 40% of consumers now consider the resale value of an item before buying it.