Used Merchandise Retailers to Promote Their Buying Services to Declutterers

BY Rachel Cagle
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Mercari, The Selling App, released the findings of a nationwide survey to gauge Americans' year-​end attitudes about household clutter and their New Year's resolutions for 2020. The takeaway: Most Americans are stressed out by clutter — but how we choose to address it varies by our generation.

Americans say they're awash in things they're no longer using:

  • Over six in ten Americans (63%) say they "have too much stuff" — about the same percentage who say they have at least one closet, drawer, or room in their home "filled with stuff I no longer want or need" (59%).
  • More than one-​third of Americans (37%) say they've experienced "extreme anxiety" due to a messy or disorganized home, closet or garage. More than one in five (21%) said they've actually lost sleep for this reason.

Taming the Beast in 2020

Many Americans say they've resolved to tackle clutter in 2020 — but how we go about it varies based on our age and gender:

  • More than one-​third (38%) of Americans said that simplifying their life and "accumulating less stuff" is one of their New Year's resolutions for 2020.
  • Three in 10 (30%) Gen Z Americans plan to sell their unwanted gifts, more than triple the percentage of baby boomers (9%) who say they plan to do so.
  • Gen Xers are a little more likely to "regift" their holiday gift rejects — 32% plan to give unwanted holiday presents as gifts, vs. 28% of Americans overall.
  • Women are slightly more likely than men to regift: 30% said they'd regift unwanted presents, vs. 25% of men.
  • Men are more likely than women to just hold onto unwanted gifts:  26%, vs. 19% of women.

"We see the surging popularity of resale in the U.S. being driven by younger consumers' attitudes about clutter and sustainability," said John Lagerling, Mercari U.S. CEO. "Their mindset as consumers contrasts with their parents' views, and their relationship with their possessions is changing."

Thrift and used merchandise stores can promote themselves as places to both find new treasures and donate unwanted items to clear up space, sometimes for money. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, Thrift Shop Shoppers took action after receiving direct mail and email ads, seeing TV commercials and hearing ads on both over-​the-​air and digital radio.

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. In addition, AdMall contains industry profiles on used merchandise stores and discount stores, as well as lead lists at the local level. Media companies, sales reps and agencies can access this data with a subscription to AdMall from SalesFuel.


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