(Re)framing used goods: marketing strategies in second-hand retail

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to identify marketing strategies incentivizing consumers to purchase used goods and explain how socio-material arrangements frame second-hand retail (SHR). The growing significance and professionalization of SHR underscore the pivotal role of marketing, necessitating an exploration of how second-hand stores can stimulate the consumption of used items.Design/methodology/approachEthnographically inspired fieldwork was conducted across a second-hand shopping mall with 17 stores in Sweden, utilizing actor-network theory (ANT) concepts to examine marketing activities and how these form strategies.FindingsThe findings reveal two marketing strategies: enrolling sustainability supporters and second-hand shoppers. Additionally, the findings provide examples of how SHR can be framed as environmentally friendly, socially sustainable, value for money, creatively experiential and facilitating sustainable consumer behavior.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the framing processes inherent in second-hand retailing presents opportunities to reinforce the transition to a circular economy. Second-hand retailers can leverage marketing to imbue used goods with greater significance for consumers, which necessitates marketing competencies.Originality/valueThe paper delves into activities that enhance the attractiveness of used goods, a research area that warrants increased attention.