eBay Looks to ‘Love Island’ to Spread the Word on Resale Shopping

eBay and “Love Island” have joined forces to strengthen their commitment to the resale movement. This partnership aims to amplify their shared mission of fostering conversations and promoting a preowned-first mindset among shoppers.

The partnership marks the second collaboration between the two. In the previous season, eBay partnered with the reality TV show as its inaugural preowned-fashion partner, initiating a movement to encourage conscious consumer behavior.

Inspiring Sustainable Style

Demonstrating that resale fashion is not merely a passing trend but a lasting movement, eBay’s Pre-Loved Fashion Stylist, Amy Bannerman, will once again curate a selection of preowned fashion from eBay to style the contestants in Series 9 of “Love Island.”

In addition to resale clothing, the villa wardrobe will feature, for the first time, a range of preowned, authenticated sneakers, as well as items from eBay’s Imperfects collection.

Islanders will wear preowned garments that mirror their personalities, while prolonging the clothing’s life cycle.

“We’re so excited to be returning to the ‘Love Island’ villa in this series to put preloved fashion, centerstage. The partnership has already shown its impact with Islanders and our Pre-Loved Ambassador Tasha Ghouri demonstrating their true style and flair with preloved looks,” said Kirsty Keoghan, global GM of fashion at eBay.

The Effectiveness Behind the Team Up

The move to team up for a second time follows recent research conducted by ITV which unveiled that 53% of “Love Island” viewers who were aware of the eBay partnership have made resale purchases within the last three months. This percentage is more than double the figure for those who either hadn’t watched the show or were unaware of the partnership.

The research findings, when extrapolated to the population, indicate that around 2.7 million people have shown a commitment to sustainable shopping due to the eBay partnership.

“Love Island” viewers at home have embraced this shift from fast fashion, as since the announcement, eBay UK has reportedly experienced a staggering 1,600% increase in searches for “pre-loved clothes.”

Additionally, there has been a 24% rise in the number of new circular fashion businesses joining the online marketplace, demonstrating a shift in consumer behavior toward sustainable fashions.

What Was Old Is New Again (and Again)

In 2022, a paradigm shift occurred as designers and retailers recognized the advantages of resale and its ability to authentically showcase brands within the industry. Joining the ranks of the thredUP platform, Tommy Hilfiger emerged as one of the pioneers, embracing resale by establishing a dedicated store hosted on the resale site.

Under the moniker of “resale-as-a-service,” thredUP has become the host to numerous brand stores, including names like H&M. Amazon, recognizing the potential, has also ventured into hosting resale, forming a partnership with Rent the Runway to expand the reach of the preowned designer apparel marketplace.

See also: Rent the Runway Is Open for Business on Amazon

With these collaborative achievements in mind, it was inevitable for more brands to venture directly into the resale market. Highlighting its durability, Rolex last year introduced the Rolex Certified Pre-Owned Program, certifying its timepieces for resale.

Read more: Rolex Will Certify Its Pre-Owned Watches

Recognizing the advantages of the resale market, several other prominent brands have joined in, including Canada Goose, Lululemon, Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and most recently, Carhartt. Adding to the momentum, French luxury brand Chloe made an announcement earlier this month, unveiling the implementation of digital ID within its Spring-Summer 2023 collection. This feature incorporates scannable labels to ensure the authenticity of each item.

Now brands and retailers like PacSun, Altuzarra, Sam Edelman, Tom’s Shoes, Selfridges and Juicy Couture have headed into resale.

See also: Footwear Retailers Launch Branded Resale, but Who’s Buying?

Why eBay’s Partnership Makes Sense

As consumers face financial constraints, their shopping preferences have become more discerning. According to the report titled “Consumer Inflation Sentiment: The False Appeal of Deal-Chasing Consumers” by PYMNTS, it suggests that merely providing attractive deals or a convenient shopping experience is no longer sufficient to fulfill their needs and desires.

Furthermore, more than 50% of individuals who actively seek out deals reveal that their salaries have either remained stagnant or decreased within the last year. Both deal chasers and persuadable consumers have experienced similar declines in purchasing power as a result of inflation. However, deal chasers hold a more pessimistic perspective regarding the prolonged impact of high inflation, estimating its persistence until almost the end of 2024.

eBay offers a range of products spanning various price points. For those looking to score a luxury deal, eBay has recently introduced the Certified by Brand program, a new initiative aimed at bolstering the presence of luxury brands in the secondary market.

See also: eBay Takes on The RealReal With Certified Brand Program

eBay Resale by the Numbers

In spite of eBay’s decision to shut down its luxury resale platform Cudoni, the company has observed an upswing in the luxury sector on its own platform. In fact, eBay has witnessed  double-digit annualized growth in categories like watches, handbags, jewelry and sneakers since the fourth quarter of 2019.

Read also: eBay Takes on The RealReal With Certified Brand Program

As of March, the three largest markets — U.S., U.K., and Germany — have witnessed a substantial rise in average daily fixed-price live listings for high-value items. In the categories of watches and handbags priced over $500, and jewelry priced over $300, there has been a double-digit increase in these listings compared to the previous year.

A considerable proportion of these items listed on eBay are categorized as preowned. In 2022, over 60% of watches, over 50% of handbags, and over 30% of jewelry listings fell into this preowned category. With over 170,000 watches, over 100,000 handbags, and more than 1 million jewelry listings on any given day, eBay’s numbers highlight the enduring popularity of luxury items on their platform.