Retailers are undergoing a profound shift as the balance of second-hand fashion sales tilts from high-street shops to digital platforms. In the UK, where charity shops have long been a cornerstone of reuse, three-quarters now sell online in order to compete with resale apps such as Vinted and Depop.
Those who expand into e-commerce or form partnerships with established resale marketplaces are well positioned to extend product lifecycles, attract younger, digitally-native consumers and reinforce their sustainability credentials.
This reflects a structural reordering of consumer demand: while offline charity shop sales have stagnated or declined, online sales grew by 10% every quarter throughout 2024, signalling that the future of resale is increasingly digital-first.68 For retailers, the opportunity lies in embracing this shift rather than resisting it. Those who expand into e-commerce or form partnerships with established resale marketplaces are well positioned to extend product lifecycles, attract younger, digitally-native consumers and reinforce their sustainability credentials.
Examples of this adaptation are already visible. Marks & Spencer (M&S), for instance, recently launched a second-hand store on eBay, blending the reach of a legacy retailer with the digital infrastructure of one of the world’s largest resale platforms. As part of the scheme, M&S offers customers a GBP 5 voucher for every bag of preloved clothes donated that includes at least one M&S item, creating a tangible incentive to participate in circular fashion and reinforcing the financial as well as environmental appeal of resale.69
Yet challenges remain significant. The cost of running physical stores continues to climb, while the quality and volume of donated items is under pressure, pushing many operators to double down on digital channels. At the same time, repair and refurbishment, which are essential to maximising the value of second-hand fashion, remain difficult to scale, constrained by labour-intensive processes, high operating costs and limited profitability for lower-value items.70 Retailers therefore face a dual imperative: to continue pivoting towards digital platforms that match consumer behaviour, while also investing in the long-term circular infrastructure that will ultimately underpin resale at scale.
Retailers are undergoing a profound shift as the balance of second-hand fashion sales tilts from high-street shops to digital platforms. In the UK, where charity shops have long been a cornerstone of reuse, three-quarters now sell online in order to compete with resale apps such as Vinted and Depop.
