Young consumers’ motivations and barriers to the purchase of second-hand clothes: An empirical study of China

Abstract

Second-hand clothing consumption has grown in popularity in recent decades and has also attracted extensive worldwide efforts to investigate the dynamics behind consumers’ purchase behaviours. However, research regarding this topic is scarce in China, which has also witnessed the rapid growth of the second-hand market in recent years. In this regard, this study analyzed the motivations and barriers to Chinese consumers’ purchase of second-hand clothes as well as their perceived problems with this industry. Specifically, the study conducted a semi-structured online survey with 127 consumers of three second-hand clothing stores in China. Results show that the vast majority (96%) of the investigated consumers are young people born in the 1990s and 2000s, and they are neither significantly driven by economic nor environmental protection motivations. Instead, their purchase is primarily motivated by treasure-hunting fun. Moreover, past overseas shopping experiences are found to be a significant booster to second-hand clothing consumption. Concerns about poverty association and the sanitation conditions of second-hand clothing are the main purchase barriers for the investigated Chinese young consumers. As for the second-hand clothing market, “unregulated industry” (10.29%), “fake identification” (8.09%), and “sanitation concern” (5.88%) are the three most mentioned problems in China. This study provides second-hand retailors and managers with valuable insights into developing successful marketing tactics to attract customers and improve the second-hand industry’s performance in China.