What Are Thrift Shoppers Looking For?

BY Rachel Cagle
Featured image for “What Are Thrift Shoppers Looking For?”

Savers released its sixth annual Thrift Shopping Survey. A survey that explores you: the vintage visionary, the denim designer, the one-​of-​a-​kind curator and the rack-​combing, risk-​taking, mold-​breaking tastemaker. Beyond saving money and supporting our environment, thrifting is a movement and lifestyle that allows everyone to express their own style, whether quirky, romantic, bohemian or untamed. Thrift shopping is a trend that never goes out of style, and you can look good while doing good.

Doing good isn't just for your style and wallet. By shopping secondhand, you are also helping the environment. Considering it takes 700 gallons of water to make a t‑shirt and 1,800 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans, when we throw away more than 83 million tons of unnecessary apparel waste each year, it also means we're throwing away the resources that went into making them. That's why Savers is proud to celebrate the solution that's dedicated to getting this apparel in the reuse stream instead.

According to AudienceSCAN, Thrift Shop Shoppers are 39% more likely than other adults to be members of a charitable organization. Seventeen percent of this audience regularly supports environment-​based charities.

"National Thrift Shop Day is a time to celebrate just how easy and exciting reuse can be and how fundamentally good it is for your wallet, your home and the environment," said Duane Woods, Chairman and CEO at Savers. "We want to educate consumers about the importance of purchasing goods with a circular mindset, which includes shopping secondhand to ensure the life of every garment and household item produced is extended."

According to AudienceSCAN, Thrift Shop Shoppers are 38% more likely than other adults to make purchases that help them feel economical.

Some highlights from the Savers 2018 Thrift Shopping Survey surrounding North Americans' shopping behaviors include:

  • Thrifters are hunting for bargains: Half report their love of thrifting came from a desire to save money, with "savings" and "economic" being the most-​associated words with shopping secondhand (41% and 30%, respectively).
  • And unique treasures: Forty-​seven percent report they love finding hidden treasures, and one in five noted their favorite all-​time thrift find was a vintage or antique furniture item.
  • It's all about the thrifting experience: Despite growth in e‑commerce, shoppers still head to retail stores for the thrifting experience; 60% report they prefer to buy secondhand in person because it allows them to touch and feel products.
  • And they find their come-​ups by roaming: Forty-​nine percent report they roam until something catches their eye, while 33% report carefully looking through each rack.

Thrift Shops can advertise their wares to Thrift Shop Shoppers through direct mail ads. According to AudienceSCAN, last year, 62.7% of Thrift Shop Shoppers took action after receiving ads or coupons in their mailboxes. Also within the last year, 63.3% took action after seeing a TV commercial and 52.2% were driven to action by an ad they saw on a social network.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.


Share: