Walmart partners with secondhand apparel site

Bloomberg

Walmart Inc is jumping into the fast-growing resale clothing market to give its apparel offering a shot in the arm and diversify its e-commerce business beyond groceries and consumer staples.
The world’s largest retailer is partnering with ThredUp, an online secondhand apparel company, to sell used women’s and children’s clothing on its website. Accessories and handbags, as well as footwear, are also available, with brands ranging from Calvin Klein and Coach to Nike. Walmart will offer nearly 750,000 secondhand products online, and shoppers can return items at the retailer’s stores.
Shoppers have shown more willingness to dip into the used market for apparel in recent years.
Thredup’s own research suggest that more than two thirds of consumers purchased secondhand items or are willing to do so, according to the company’s upcoming 2020 annual resale
report.
That’s up from previous years, and since the study was carried out in April, it would seem that the preference is sticking in
spite of the Covid-19 outbreak that has roiled daily life and changed consumer tendencies across the globe.
Sellers like the RealReal Inc and Poshmark have also helped to convert shoppers to the secondhand market.
“We know that customers,
especially Millennials, are interested in shopping resale clothing,” Denise Incandela, head of fashion at Walmart US e-Commerce, said in a blog post. “This partnership is our latest move to establish Walmart.com as a destination for fashion and offer customers the pre-owned items they might be looking for.”
Quarantined shoppers have flocked to Walmart’s website to buy essential goods like groceries in recent weeks. While they’re there, the company wants them to order higher
margin items — like clothes and accessories.