Half of second-hand shoppers motivated by environmental concerns
SUEZ and Keep Britain Tidy research reveals that preventing waste and saving money are biggest incentives for choosing reuse over new purchases.
New research conducted by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of SUEZ recycling and recovery UK has revealed that customers in reuse shops are increasingly motivated to buy second-hand items for both environmental and financial reasons.
The findings came from 707 face-to-face surveys with both customers and non-users of the re-use shops taken during May 2024. Conducted in 11 locations in Greater Manchester, Surrey, Devon, Halifax, Calderdale, and Aberdeen, the surveys revealed that half of respondents cited environmental concerns as their primary motivator, while 20 per cent were driven by the need to save money.
The research also highlighted strong customer loyalty, with 9 in 10 re-use shop customers having visited at least twice before. More than 40 per cent of customers said they have, or would, make a specific trip to their household waste recycling centre (HWRC) to visit their local reuse shop.
Sarah Ottaway, Sustainability & Social Values Lead at SUEZ, commented on these findings: “What these findings show is that our retail offering is being well received by our customers, and that there is real potential to keep items in use for longer by expanding on this so it’s easy and convenient for people to access quality pre-owned goods at their local HWRCs.”
The importance of well-organised, presentable displays and a regular turnover of stock was also emphasised. A total of 86 per cent of customers said that the items they want are displayed well, with respondents reporting an overall satisfaction rate of 89 per cent.
The surveys revealed potential for growth, suggesting that more than half of the non-users surveyed are already participating in other forms of second-hand shopping.
Ottaway added: “Our findings show that even those who are not using them are already participating in other second-hand shopping behaviours, meaning that encouraging them to use their local HWRC re-use shop is simply adding to existing positive habits.”
SUEZ currently operates 30 reuse shops and a Renew Hub on behalf of local authorities in England and Scotland, that fix, repair, upcycle, resell, or redistribute donated items. Two more reuse shops have been launched in Cornwall this year, with additional shops planned over the coming months.
The research comes with confirmation that SUEZ’s reuse shops and Renew Hub helped prevent 500,000 items from being disposed of in 2023.
