Resale Rewired: What Gen Z’s Shopping Habits Reveal About the Future of Retail
It’s official: second-hand is having a first-rate moment and Gen Z is firmly in the driver’s seat.
In a world increasingly defined by economic pressure and environmental awareness, the meteoric rise of the pre-loved market shouldn’t surprise us. What is striking, however, is the scale and emotional pull of the movement. Our latest research finds that 65% of UK adults have purchased a pre-loved item in the past year, rising to an eye-opening 90% among 18–24 year-olds. That's nine in ten young adults actively reshaping the retail landscape.
And this isn’t a niche fad. It’s a groundswell.
The New Value of Second-hand
Fashion leads the way, with 47% of adults buying pre-loved clothing, rising to 72% among Gen Z. But while wardrobes are being re-imagined, it's not only about what you wear. Electronics (18%), homewares (14%), toys and games (13%) and even furniture (12%) are seeing growing traction signalling that platforms like Vinted and Depop are beginning to disrupt more than just fashion.
The Pre-Loved Win-Win: Style and Sustainability with Spending Power
What’s fuelling this behaviour? At its core, the pre-loved economy thrives on a mutually beneficial exchange: save money on the buy, make money on the sell. It’s a new form of circular consumption that allows for spontaneity, "I want it for the weekend," without the traditional wait-for-payday limitation.
Top motivations reflect this pragmatic idealism:
Saving money (31%)
Sustainability (16%)
Making money (13%)
The thrill of the hunt (10%)
Finding unique or vintage items (9%)
These motivations are where emotion and economics collide. 55% say pre-loved gives them a bigger emotional buzz than traditional shopping, while 52% admit to being ‘hooked’ on refreshing the feed. It’s dopamine retail with a conscience driven by the thrill of the find and the pride of the deal.
It's Not Just Shopping, It's a Cycle
Selling, too, has firmly entered the mainstream, with half of UK adults having sold a pre-loved item in the past year – a figure that rises sharply to 74% among under-35s. The top items mirror buying trends, with clothing (31%), electronics (16%), shoes (16%), and accessories (15%) leading the charge. But it’s the fluidity between buyer and seller roles that really speaks to how embedded this behaviour has become, especially for younger consumers.
Gen Z aren’t just shopping differently – they’re actively reshaping the concept of ownership. Items are no longer seen as fixed assets, but as currency to unlock the next purchase, a toolkit that serves a purpose now and can also be passed on later. It's an agile, entrepreneurial approach to consumption perfectly aligned with a generation navigating rising costs, climate anxiety and the desire for self-expression on their own terms.
Trust and Fit: The Remaining Friction Points
That’s not to say it’s all smooth sailing. Despite the growing popularity of pre-loved platforms, two clear friction points persist: trust and sizing. A significant 65% of shoppers say that trusting sellers can feel like a gamble, revealing lingering doubts around authenticity, quality and reliability. Similarly, 66% report difficulty judging sizes correctly, a problem that’s particularly acute when purchasing fashion items online without the benefit of standardised sizing or the ability to try before you buy.
These concerns highlight where the user experience still falls short – and where the next stage of innovation must focus. Platforms have an opportunity, and arguably a responsibility, to build confidence. This can be done through better authentication, enhanced seller profiles, smarter sizing tools or visual guides and narrowing the gap between what is expected and received based on product images/description guidelines. For marketplaces that get this right, there’s real potential to convert casual users into loyal advocates. Because while Gen Z may be fuelled by the excitement of finding the perfect item, they also want to feel safe while they shop.
Are We Witnessing the Slow Fade of Fast Fashion?
Perhaps the bigger story here is cultural. Gen Z may be signalling that the era of cheap, fast, disposable fashion is reaching its saturation point. Pre-loved isn’t just an economic decision, it’s an identity one. It allows for individuality, sustainability and savvy spending – values increasingly central to how young consumers engage with brands.
Why This Matters for Retailers & Brands:
For brands, this shift is more than a trend – it’s a wake-up call. The traditional one-way retail model – sell, wear, discard – is giving way to a dynamic, circular exchange. Today’s consumers, especially Gen Z, are just as comfortable selling as they are buying. And that changes everything.
Smart retailers are already adapting supporting resale, incentivising trade-ins and designing products with second (or even third) lives in mind. In a world where ownership is temporary and value is constantly reassessed, brand loyalty may depend less on the first purchase and more on what happens after it.
The most forward-thinking brands will find ways to integrate resale into their ecosystem, whether through digital marketplaces, peer-to-peer platforms or curated in-store pre-loved edits.
If Gen Z is your audience, pre-loved is your competition.
Understanding resale motivations can shape your loyalty, product lifecycle and trust strategies.
The retail model is evolving. Are you evolving with it?
If your organisation wants to understand the values, behaviours and emotional drivers behind Gen Z’s shifting relationship with shopping, we’re here to help you navigate the new normal of retail.
The Harris Poll UK, A Stagwell Company, is a leading market research company that provides some of the UK’s best-loved brands with game-changing insights. We utilise a combination of proprietary software and advisory services to deliver data insights via custom service models. We help our clients make informed decisions based on our in-depth industry expertise and our continual exploration of evolving consumer needs and priorities. We know that when a company’s Business Strategy and Customer Strategy are one and the same, their brand and their employees are better placed to succeed.