Inditex’s Zara is testing resale and repair in the UK market for the first time. Using this new service, customers will be able to resell and repair clothing they’ve purchased from the retailer. If this launch plays out successfully, it may be rolled out to other major markets in the future. The resale will be operated via Zara’s website and app, through which sellers will be able to take their own pictures and upload the condition of their goods.
SEE ALSO: Shein takes resale up a notch, introducing Shein Exchange
According to Zara’s head of sustainability, Paula Ampuero, the retailer does not expect the service to be profitable at first as it is designed and aimed “exclusively to help customers extend the life of their clothing and take a more circular approach”.
Many retailers and brands have also or recently begun offering resale and rental services at all price levels, with a number of specialists emerging as a result.
SEE ALSO: Yoox Net-a-Porter expands resale to new markets
Recently, M&S, Joules, John Lewis, Boohoo’s PrettyLittleThing and YNAP’s Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter and The Outnet rolled out their resale services to numerous new markets. In addition, Selfridges announced recently that by the beginning of the next decade, nearly half of all interactions with customers will involve repairs, resales, or refills. However, there still remain many other resale options out there, including giant specialists like Vestiaire Collective in France and peer-to-peer operations such as eBay, Depop and Vinted.