Technology-Based Strategies for Online Secondhand Platforms Promoting Sustainable Retailing

Abstract

Online secondhand resale platforms are a booming industry involving the growing recognition of various economic, environmental, and recreational benefits in buying and selling used items. This preliminary study explores technology-based strategies for online secondhand platforms, which contributed to the resale industry’s steady growth and digital transformation. Through a variety of literature, this study established a basis for developing research on technological innovations in online resale platforms. A mixed method was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate and understand the features of resale e-commerce. Case studies of four online secondhand resale platforms specializing in general goods and fashion helped identify a variety of technological strategies that were later analyzed based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Survey data from respondents in their twenties and thirties living in South Korea indicated features that promote safe transactions, engaging user experience and user interface design, and individual compatibility as most effective in influencing users’ resale platform usage. Features that involve high technology, such as virtual reality and machine learning, had the least impact on users’ usage. Data gathered from follow-up interviews showing the recurring theme of unfamiliarity with the technological features corroborated the survey findings. Analyzing qualitative data from expert interviews generated key concepts in future trends in online resale platform strategies, including effective data management. Based on this study’s findings, the digitalization and onlineization of the online secondhand resale industry are likely to continue with the implementation of various strategies that contribute to users’ perceptions of usefulness, ease-of-use, and enjoyment, increasing users’ satisfaction and, hence, the actual usage of these platforms. The proliferation of secondary e-commerce will facilitate a shared culture that values sustainable consumption in online platforms and promote sustainability in the retail industry.

The Intersection of Fashion, Immersive Technology, and Sustainability: A Literature Review

“…Exploring the topic of immersive technologies to support the second-hand fashion industry from a different perspective, another study [85] found that features involving high technology, such as VR, had the least impact on users' usage of fashion resale platforms, but other digital technologies which were not immersive were more successful.…”

“…Acceptance of circular business models and recycled products [61,71,83,85,113]; • Dematerialisation through digital fashion offerings allows consumers to have multiple new outfits for their digital channels, which reduces the need for physical items [27,65,74,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104]106,108,109,113]; • Gamification, where brands are entering existing virtual gaming worlds to encourage digital fashion purchases, or they are taking a gamification approach to their interactions with consumers [26,81,94].…”

Sinicized Exploration of Sustainable Digital Fashion: Chinese Game Players’ Intention to Purchase Traditional Costume Skins

“…Furthermore, this paper expands the TAM and applies it to the realm of digital fashion. Now, many developed extensions of the TAM are more suitable for the information age [44,49]. However, in the current context, it still has some shortcomings due to the lack of consideration on how social and cultural factors influence users' acceptance of technology [44].…”

Evaluation Method of Innovative Education Model of E-Commerce Video Live Broadcast Based on Big Data Analysis Technology

“…Foreign countries started earlier in big data research than in China, and foreign research on big data pays more attention to technology and application research, which to a certain extent benefits from the strong support of the government. For example, the U.S. government has established six departments for big data research, and most of its research projects are researching big data analysis algorithms, big data storage technologies, and big data security technologies [16].…”