Integrating Second-Hand Sales and Rental Services into luxury Brands Stores: Market Practices and Consumer Purchasing Behavior in Sustainable Luxury Fashion Market (Finland & Sweden)
Toumas, Saben (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112730298
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025112730298
Tiivistelmä
This thesis research how luxury brands should implement second hand fashion products sales and renting in their own stores. Due the topic newness in the luxury fashion field, the study focusses on providing a holistic understanding of second-hand luxury market current practices, forms, consumer behavior as well as the phenomenon’s link to sustainable consumption trends. Additionally, the study provides luxury fashion brands sales managers concrete insights on second-hand luxury fashion areas of opportunity and development.
The study theoretical framework consists of exploring key factors to answer the research question. First chapter introduce luxury second-hand sales and rental form of practices, secondary market examples, and impact on the current market and examples from ten luxury brands who have incorporated second-hand fashion sales or renting. Consumer purchasing behavior is analyzed in the second chapter, focusing on customer internal and external motivations, purchase barriers and post purchase behavior. The last chapter analyze the topic from sustainable consumption trends point of view. The chapter explore second-hand sales and rental role in circular economy and introducing second-hand luxury efforts in shifting towards a future of collaborative consumption. Furthermore, investigating EU regulations that encourage the incorporation of second-hand sales and rental and their effect on consumers and businesses.
An online quantitative survey of 64 Finnish and Swedish luxury consumers captured platform preferences, motivations, barriers, desired services and willingness to pay. The empirical findings showed that consumers prefer to purchase and rent second-hand fashion items through retail stores, while online channels are chosen mainly for their convenience. Sustainability and ethical drive consumer motivation, with economic benefits of obtaining luxury items at reduced price coming in a close second. The principal barriers to consumption are product related concerns, particularly doubts about authenticity, condition, and hygiene. Additionally, shopping experience related barriers such as the absence of clear return and exchange hinder purchase decision. Authentication is the most requested complementary service, with return and exchange ranked highly as well. Respondents indicate a higher willingness to pay a premium when brands integrate luxury complementary services and a generous exchange and return policy, therefore turning perceived barriers into value adding signals.
Future studies could replicate this research in other geographics or markets. Additionally examining different luxury products categories or focusing on specific consumer segment to deepen the literature.
The study theoretical framework consists of exploring key factors to answer the research question. First chapter introduce luxury second-hand sales and rental form of practices, secondary market examples, and impact on the current market and examples from ten luxury brands who have incorporated second-hand fashion sales or renting. Consumer purchasing behavior is analyzed in the second chapter, focusing on customer internal and external motivations, purchase barriers and post purchase behavior. The last chapter analyze the topic from sustainable consumption trends point of view. The chapter explore second-hand sales and rental role in circular economy and introducing second-hand luxury efforts in shifting towards a future of collaborative consumption. Furthermore, investigating EU regulations that encourage the incorporation of second-hand sales and rental and their effect on consumers and businesses.
An online quantitative survey of 64 Finnish and Swedish luxury consumers captured platform preferences, motivations, barriers, desired services and willingness to pay. The empirical findings showed that consumers prefer to purchase and rent second-hand fashion items through retail stores, while online channels are chosen mainly for their convenience. Sustainability and ethical drive consumer motivation, with economic benefits of obtaining luxury items at reduced price coming in a close second. The principal barriers to consumption are product related concerns, particularly doubts about authenticity, condition, and hygiene. Additionally, shopping experience related barriers such as the absence of clear return and exchange hinder purchase decision. Authentication is the most requested complementary service, with return and exchange ranked highly as well. Respondents indicate a higher willingness to pay a premium when brands integrate luxury complementary services and a generous exchange and return policy, therefore turning perceived barriers into value adding signals.
Future studies could replicate this research in other geographics or markets. Additionally examining different luxury products categories or focusing on specific consumer segment to deepen the literature.