PHL tops SEA market for secondhand goods; Zara, BMW are sought-after brands — Carousell

PIXABAY


The Philippines is the most receptive market for secondhand goods in Southeast Asia, according to a



report released this December by Carousell, an online recommerce platform



.


Recommerce refers to the selling and buying of previously owned products, both new and used.


According to the inaugural Carousell Recommerce Index, 92% of consumers in the Philippines have bought secondhand items from casual everyday sellers — the highest among all markets of the Carousell Group, a classifieds group in Southeast Asia.


Secondhand apparel is the category Filipinos are most comfortable with, whether in terms of buying (58%) or selling (75%).


Women’s fashion was the top category for secondhand items in



Carousell Philippines



, the report found, with Zara being the most searched for brand. Rounding the top three on the supply side were men’s fashion, followed by hobbies and toys.


Fashion ruled the demand side as well. However, over the pandemic, interest in buying secondhand cars increased by 37% — pushing used cars into third place, with BMW being the most popular search term.


“Recommerce offers the second-best sustainable option by extending the life cycle of each garment and material, keeping it out of landfills, replacing the need to produce new items, and limiting consumption,” said Ralph Garcia, country marketing head of Carousell Philippines, in a press statement.


The index, he added, was compiled to determine how the pandemic changed consumer behavior, as well as how consumers can be encouraged to buy secondhand as a sustainable lifestyle choice.



BUYER MOTIVATION


Seventy-two percent of Carousell Group users have made secondhand purchases before; 3 in 10 buy secondhand whenever possible. In this segment, the primary reason for buying secondhand was value for money (82% in Hong Kong; 78% in Malaysia; 74% in Singapore and the Philippines). The second top reason was



environmental concern



(45% in Hong Kong; 30% in Taiwan and Singapore).


An authentication and warranty on products will make the respondents who have never bought secondhand before consider doing so (72% in the Philippines; 56% in Singapore; 39% in Malaysia).


Carousell Group’s 2021 report surveyed 3,029 buyers and sellers in June across its eight markets: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam. —



Patricia B. Mirasol