Psychology as a Tool to Unlocking Customer Participation in Circular Systems
How can a basic understanding of human behavior inspire and encourage permanent behavioral change among shoppers?
This session first aired during the 2022 Sustainable Fashion Forum and was made accessible on our YouTube to the SFF community in partnership with Treet.
Over the years, resale has gone from niche to mainstream as traditional brands and retailers experiment with ways to bolster their sustainability credentials and engage with consumers.
With secondhand emerging as a solution to extend the life of clothing while signaling a brand’s commitment to lessening their environmental impact, the list of companies embracing the secondhand market is growing exponentially.
However, transitioning from a linear business model to a circular economy requires fundamental and systematic changes in the way businesses operate and how shoppers interact with these new business models. After all, brands can't resell a product that customers don't take the initiative to return.
As brands look to launch their own resale programs, they’re turning to tech-enabled platforms like Treet to make it happen. Treet is a turnkey provider that helps brands set up fully-integrated, fully-branded resale channels. They understand how vital customer participation is in creating the conditions necessary for systemic transformation.
One of the biggest issues at the intersection of fashion and sustainability is the massive underutilization of clothing. Millions of clothes are produced, worn, and thrown away, often after only a few wears. The rise of social media and influencer marketing, coupled with microtrends and the fast pace at which clothes are manufactured, worn, and discarded, has given birth to "throwaway culture," where clothing has become disposable. Shoppers have been conditioned to constantly expect and want what's new.
As mounting socio-economic and environmental issues prompt us to reevaluate our approach to consumption, how can we continue to draw consumers in and encourage their participation in circular systems rather than the linear habits they've become accustomed to? With consumers being the direct suppliers of secondary garments, how can brands architect circular customer journeys that make it easy for shoppers to experience and engage in a closed-loop system? How can a basic understanding of human behavior inspire and encourage permanent behavioral change among shoppers?
During the 2022 Sustainable Fashion Forum, Treet powered an industry roundtable with Thousand Fell co-founders Chloe Songer and Stuart Ahlum; Dr. Dion Terrelonge; Tentree director of sustainability; Kathleen Buckingham; and Treet’s co-founder, Jake Disraeli, moderated by Rhonda Richford to discuss The Psychology of Circular: Psychology as a Tool to Unlocking Consumer Behavior in Circular Systems.
Join the conversation. Click here to watch the full conversation on YouTube.
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