Second-Hand Goods Increasingly Popular as Christmas Gift Option

Monday, December 23, 2019 - 14:51 by Simon Crisp

A study from the US has revealed that more consumers at the younger end of the spectrum are intending to take advantage of used goods as a means of fulfilling their festive gift-giving obligations this year.

Deloitte asked 1200 shoppers about their opinions on gifting used items, whether procured via safe shopping online from a marketplace service or purchased on the high street.

Close to a third of those questioned said that they would be buying at least one used product to give to a friend or family member this Christmas, but this level rose to 61 per cent when focusing solely on those in the Gen Z age group. Amongst Millennials the figure was 43 per cent.

There are various motivations for buying used, with a need to save cash being cited by 50 per cent of those questioned across all age groups.

A quarter said that by opting for a second-hand product they were able to secure a more prestigious brand than would otherwise be attainable within their price range.

Interestingly, just 13 per cent said that they purchased second-hand products for gifting purposes because they were looking to make their shopping habits more sustainable. So even in the age of increased focus on the climate crisis, it seems that bargain hunting trumps environmental ethics in most cases.

Analysts also asked people to reflect on how they would feel if they themselves were the recipient of a used product as a gift this Christmas. 25 per cent said they would be very happy, while about half said they would feel neutral on the matter.

The fact that almost a third of people said that they would be disgruntled if they unwrapped a second-hand product on the 25th of December suggests that this is very much something that needs to be judged carefully.