Swedish kids’ clothing brand Polarn O. Pyret’s in-house destination for PO.P Second Hand is now available across its entire clothing collection. Raising the bar for re-commerce, Polarn O. Pyret (PO.P) is the only known major fashion brand to embed re-commerce into its core business model by offering second hand ‘in-house’ as a brand service.

Building PO.P Second Hand as a brand service offering means the company has created a go-to destination for buyers and sellers of PO.P pre-loved at a time when the norm is for brands to externalise their second hand offer to third-party re-sellers.

PO.P has a long-standing vision that every piece of its clothing is owned by at least three children

Perceived barriers around the profitability of second hand and challenges with delivering a positive customer experience can prevent brands from embracing in-house solutions. However, the service experienced unprecedented interest during a trial with outerwear last year.

In fact, 95% of items sold out within just five days, giving the brand confidence to extend the service across its entire range. Since a soft launch in September, customers have been able to trade-in any second hand PO.P item, no matter where it was purchased.

Benefits for buyers and sellers

PO.P has systematically addressed the key barriers that prevent conscious customers from engaging in buying and selling second hand. Customer insights from a recent brand survey show nearly one-third of PO.P customers already regularly shop for pre-owned childrenswear through other channels. However, less than a fifth regularly sells, with many stating there is too much hassle involved, from taking pictures (45%) to arranging postage (54%).

Taking full ownership of the inventory means PO.P has full control of the brand experience and can tackle these barriers. With no photos required; free shipping for sellers; free returns for buyers; and ozone cleaning and repair all taken care of, plus a transparent voucher system for traded-in items redeemable against all kids’ clothes, new or used, you can see why PO.P Second Hand is already flying off the virtual shelves.

Commenting is PO.P UK MD, Mats Nilsson

“PO.P already leads the way with a sustainability mindset baked into how we do business. We really care about the clothes we produce, and second hand is the obvious next step for us. But it’s also really important that we take full ownership of the experience for customers. The only way we can do that and truly build brand value through second hand is to take full ownership of our products.

“It’s what customers want, and it’s what the planet needs. But there’s being seen to be doing second hand and there’s really doing second hand. We’re putting our money where our mouth is and are investing in building a profitable resale model that helps us manage our impact as we grow the PO.P brand here in the UK.”

Also commenting is Gerrard Fisher, founder of QSA, a leader in circular business modelling in the fashion industry with clients such as Depop, ReLondon and FarFetch

“This is real category leadership by Polarn O. Pyret. Giving equal value to second hand product by integrating it into the core brand ecommerce platform is a game-changer for customers. It’s not only a great way for a brand built on longevity to make the most value from what they produce, but selling used clothing is also an essential part of an authentic sustainability programme. Second hand items have a substantially lower carbon footprint than new.”

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