The Back to School UK survey, which featured 1,503 respondents reveals 37.3% of consumers purchased secondhand products ahead of their children going back to school in 2023.
Almost half (47.2%) of those opting for secondhand reported saving money or finding a bargain were the main reasons for doing so.
Most (73.4%) of UK back-to-school shoppers surveyed revealed they actively reduced spend for back-to-school in a bid to save money this year, which was 5.0 percentage points (ppts) higher than in 2022.
It was those buying for children aged between 11 and 13 that were most likely to cut spending, with 82.8% stating they cut back this year compared to 69.6% in 2022.
GlobalData retail analyst Joe Dawson points out the 11 to 13 age group marks the transition from primary to secondary school in the UK. As a result, it requires more significant investment by shoppers with school children of this age requiring new uniforms and other essential products.
He says: "This can be very costly for families and is often an unavoidable expense. When shopping for more expensive back-to-school products, they have likely been saving money by buying fewer items and making do with smaller quantities of each item.”
However, he highlights secondhand clothing and footwear purchases were most popular amongst parents with five to seven year-old children with almost half of them (47.8%) opting for at least one secondhand item this year.
He states: "As children tend to grow quickly, secondhand products provide a more cost-effective choice for short-term wear.”
Secondhand back to school trend is new for 2023
Cloud graph displays the most popular terms related to secondhand apparel filings. Source: GlobalData
GlobalData's filings database suggests secondhand apparel over the last three years (1 October 2020 to 1 October 2023) has proved to be most popular amongst women shoppers and those specifically shopping for shoes.
However, Dawson suggests this new trend of parents wishing to purchase secondhand back-to-school items for their children is likely to grow.
He says: “With the rate of inflation not expected to return to more normal levels until 2025, retailers must appeal to price-conscious shoppers with deals and promotions specifically targeted at reception and year 7 students."
Plus, he notes: "A set percentage off the marked price and multi-buy discounts were the most popular among consumers, so these should be the focus for retailers tempting back-to-school shoppers during this new academic year and beyond.”
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