Consumers love secondhand fashion, and now retailers are realizing the need to bring resale into their stores versus ceding these shoppers to the fast-growing competition.
Nordstrom is the latest traditional merchant to add a resale experience in-store and online, following moves by Macy’s and J.C. Penney. On Thursday, the Seattle-based department store chain announced plans to launch See You Tomorrow, curated by long-time creative projects vice president Olivia Kim and gracing the New York City women’s flagship as well as Nordstrom.com.
“We want to provide a unique and elevated resale shopping experience that encourages a sense of discovery and provides access to the brands our customers know and love, while giving them a convenient opportunity to participate in the circular fashion economy,” Kim said of the shop, which will offer pre-owned apparel and accessories from “coveted brands.”
Customers experiencing See You Tomorrow can shop apparel and footwear for men and women, as well as handbags, children’s wear and a thoughtful assortment of jewelry and watches. Starting with Copenhagen-based contemporary label Ganni, the resale shop will also highlight special brand partnerships.
“We want our customers to feel good not only about what they’re buying, but how they’re buying it,” Kim added.
Yerdle, a recommerce technology company that white-labels resale programs for brands like Patagonia, worked with Nordstrom to make See You Tomorrow possible, lending its expertise in cleaning, refurbishing and repairing product to be sold in the resale shop. Product is sourced from the Nordstrom Quality Center, which manages damaged and returned merchandise from the retailer’s mainline stores.
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And to encourage circular behavior, Nordstrom said shoppers can bring their high-quality, pre-owned goods to the Manhattan flagship’s customer intake program in exchange for a store gift card. The cards can be redeemed at Nordstrom and its e-commerce channel, Nordstrom Rack and its digital channel, flash-sale site HauteLook and Trunk Club, the personal styling service. Similar to resale platform ThredUp’s cleanout kit, Nordstrom plans to eventually allow customers to send their previously owned merchandise in by mail.
The move into resale indicates Nordstrom’s desire to remain relevant with shoppers increasingly aware of fashion’s environmental footprint.
“In addition to providing customers more ways to engage with us, See You Tomorrow is another step we’re taking to actively support our commitment to sustainability,” Pete Nordstrom, co-president at Nordstrom, said. “We’re excited to show our customers another way Nordstrom is striving to leave the world better than we found it and circular fashion is another piece to this puzzle.”
According to ThredUp’s landmark resale study last year, the secondhand fashion market is expected to reach $51 billion by 2023.