Introduction
Hi! My name is Shakira. I have over 15 years of experience in children's wear fashion, and I am a new mom to a baby boy! I am passionate about fashion and thrifting, and as a new mom, I'm concerned about the future, especially how to balance a child's needs with the constant pressure to buy new. I naturally looked to secondhand to save money and sell items once he's grown out of them, and began thinking of how I can manage this new aspect of my life.
What is SecondKind?
SecondKind is a peer-to-peer buying and selling thrifting website focusing on children’s clothing and products. This space allows parents and caregivers to buy and sell gently used items. All users are verified, so it is genuinely an online village. We pride ourselves on ensuring affordable, quality, and safe products for children and families.
Problem Statement
Every milestone and growth spurt results in children needing new clothing and products. This can be expensive and time-consuming for parents and guardians to manage. They must find time in their busy schedules to search in stores or online for the correct sizes, quality, and season-appropriate clothing for their children. Combined with the rising cost of clothing and the declining quality, parents are turning to the secondhand resale market for an alternative solution to buy good quality, affordable clothing and make extra income by selling gently used items.
Market Research
When I began my research, I tried to do academic research, but I quickly realized I should approach this as a fashion issue. I then conducted Market research. The secondhand resale market doesn't just exist within your local thrift shop; it is an entire curated buying and selling experience. The secondhand apparel market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2028.
With new tariffs, industry experts predict that the secondhand resale market will grow even more within the U.S. as shoppers turn to resale markets to buy their favorite brands at affordable prices. With the rising costs of goods, services, and basic needs such as food and housing, resellers also use secondhand websites to earn extra income for essential items such as food and bills.
“The global secondhand apparel market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2028, with the U.S. market expected to grow to $73 billion.”
Secondhand Prevalence:
2 in 5 apparel items purchased in 2023 were secondhand.
In 2023, 63% of secondhand shoppers made purchases online, a 17-point increase from 2022.
Source: ThredUp. “2024 Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report
“60% of shoppers value secondhand apparel for affordability.
While 69% of resellers do so for extra money, with 49% using earnings for essentials like food and bills.”
Sustainability and Revenue Impact:
87% of brands offering resale say it helps advance their sustainability goals.
67% of brands believe resale will generate over 10% of total revenue within 5 years.
Source: ThredUp. “2024 Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report
“Even if [middle-class shoppers] are not going to buy American-made brands that are significantly more expensive, maybe they’ll go second-hand, maybe they’ll vintage,” says BoF correspondent Malique Morris.
Tariffs' Impact on the Secondhand Market
Industry experts predict that American consumers will continue to turn to secondhand markets to buy their favorite brands.
Source: “The Debrief | Can Tariffs Really Revive 'Made in USA' Fashion?”
The Business of Fashion
User Interviews
I conducted my six user interviews, including buyers and sellers on resale websites. My key findings aligned with my market research. Some motivating factors for users are value, affordability, and the opportunity to save money on good-quality pieces such as vintage items. Users also want to save time, with buyers wishing to filter and find items easily on the websites. Sellers like Rachel complain that they waste too much time reviewing listings and weeding through potential buyers.
6 Users Interviewed
Conducted Week of 1/13/25 -1/19/25
30-45 Minute Interviews
Connected with Users through Social Media
Users were both Buyers and Sellers
Working Professionals Ages 30- 35
Key Findings
“Most of the time, it's going to be how much of a need I have for the item, and then I'm looking at price like those are gonna be the two biggest things.” - Hannah R.
Value - Users are more likely to use resale sites to find deals on gently used items, so they do not have to pay full price to buy brand new.
Community - Users enjoy buying and selling locally and building connections with their communities.
Quality - Users look for vintage pieces because they have better quality, made of better materials, and last longer than many of the products made today.
“I feel like with [resale websites], I just ended up not having time to manage my posts.” - Rachel M
Time - Users want to find products easily through search and filters. Sellers wish to post their products and have them sell quickly without spending too much time managing their posts.
Trust—Users want to feel secure during local pick-ups and may feel uncomfortable giving out their home addresses. They also want to trust that they are not being scammed or that their time is not wasted with unserious buyers or sellers.
Sustainability - Users feel accomplished when they sell gently used products to give items a new life instead of ending up in the trash. However, sustainability is not the main issue when shopping secondhand.
Competitive Analysis
As I worked on my competitive analysis, I looked at different resale website models and the popular websites mentioned in my user interview, which focused on peer-to-peer websites and external marketplaces.
Brand Resale Models
Competitors
Poshmark
Strengths
Social and E-Commerce Integration: This integration blends social media and e-commerce, allowing users to interact through likes, shares, comments, and virtual "Posh Parties."
Weaknesses
Limited Seller Protections: There are very few policies that protect sellers from scammers and fraudulent buyers.
Opportunties
Low Start-Up Costs, High Selling Fees: Poshmark requires minimal effort and upfront cost to start selling. However, sellers pay higher shipping costs and fees.
Threats
Poor AI Descriptions: The AI labels are not accurate, and users feel they take too long to generate, which slows down listing time.
ThredUp
Strengths
Convenience for Sellers: ThredUp’s Clean Out Kit makes it easy for sellers to remove unwanted clothing. ThredUp handles everything from inspection to pricing and shipping.
Weaknesses
Overwhelming Inventory: There are too many items without adequate filtering. Users are overwhelmed by the number of products and struggle to find the right ones.
Opportunities
Style Chat: An AI-powered chatbot creating complete outfits based on user preferences. Users want more personalized suggestions.
Threats
Low Seller Payouts: ThredUp changed its policies so sellers get paid after their items are sold on the platform, instead of receiving an initial payout for sending in their gently used products.
Facebook Marketplace
Strengths
Integrated with the Facebook Ecosystem – The Marketplace is built directly into the Facebook app and website, allowing users to transition seamlessly from social networking to shopping.
Weaknesses
Fraud: Reports of scams, fake accounts, and fraudulent listings. Users want more protection from bots. Spam accounts and scammers who waste potential buyers' time
Opportunties
Too many advertisements: When searching listings, too many ads in the results, and users want to see more local listings
Threats
Lack of payment process: Unlike competitors, there is no built-in payment process, and users must set up their transactions, whether in person or by shipping
Research Reflections
After completing this project's research portion, I pivoted from creating a solution for buyers and sellers to focusing on different seller types. Therefore, I went back into my research and updated my personas and user stories before proceeding to the design phase.
Next Steps
Expand user stories, journeys, and flows, and focus more on the Sellers. Begin working on wireframes and mid-fidelity prototypes.
Challenges
Whether to focus more on the buyer, seller, or both. However, I want to focus more on sellers and update my personas to reflect different types of sellers.
Opportunities
I will continue to conduct research and examine competitors' products to determine what features work well and where room for improvement exists.
Personas, User Stories, User Journeys and User Flows
Speedy Seller
My first persona is the Speedy Seller. She is new to secondhand websites and wants to make extra cash by quickly listing and selling gently used items. Her tasks include easily signing up for the resale website and using AI-generated content to create new listings. In her current journey, she is overwhelmed by resale websites and confused by how they operate. And in her future state, she is pleased with how quickly she can create a listing with the help of AI.
Resourceful Reseller
My second persona is the resourceful reseller. She is a seasoned reseller on secondhand websites, and her goal is to make money for her family. Her tasks include creating a new bundle listing so she can sell multiple items at once. Her current user journey is stifled by how time-consuming it is to manage multiple listings. And she wants to be able to sell multiple items in bulk to save time and make even more income.
Wireframes and Prototypes
I then proceed to the design portion of this project. I started with a low-fidelity wireframe for my design process to mock up my user flows. I found the process more efficient to mock up the design in color so I could visualize the elements and flow of the website better.
Speedy Seller Low Fidelity Wireframe
Resourceful Reseller Low Fidelity Wireframe
Usability Testing
As the design process continued, I then began testing my mid-fidelity prototype in usability round 1 and my high-fidelity prototype in round 2. I conducted two rapid rounds of usability testing over the course of one week. The testers all have previous experience buying and selling on resale websites.
5 Users Tested in Round 1 and Round 2
Conducted between 4/24/25 -5/1/25
15-30 Minutes for Prototype Testing
Working Professionals Ages 30- 35
Key Findings from Usability Testing
Create a confirmation pop-up for the accept/counteroffer buttons to prevent accidental clicks.
Add arrows to show horizontal scrolling functionality in the photo galleries.
Consider adding a pop-up notification for AI-generated content in the listing creation process.
Add a Size Range category for children's wear in the listing creation process.
I kept the photo grid on the listing page because usability testers liked seeing all the images simultaneously.
Kept “CREATE NEW LISTING” and “CREATE NEW BUNDLE” buttons at the top of the page because testers like the ease of access to these tasks
Speedy Seller Mid Fidelity Prototype
Resourceful Reseller Mid Fidelity Prototype
Speedy Seller High Fidelity Prototype
Resourceful Reseller High Fidelity Prototype
In Class Feedback
Updated the design on the home page to be clearer for buyers and sellers
Updated the flow of uploading photos and the AI pop-up in both user flows.
Update and reformat the layout and prototype to be more concise.
For the sign-up process, add a progress bar to show the users the steps they need to complete.
Make buttons and design details the same and consistent throughout website.
Final Prototypes
Speedy Seller Final Prototype
Resourceful Reseller Final Prototype
Next Steps
If prototyping and testing continued, I would like to add or improve the features below:
AI Photo Enhancement
Consider adding an AI-assisted photo enhancement feature for listings. This feature would focus on lighting and background improvements without altering the item's appearance.
Mobile Application
Create the Mobile version of the website so parents and caregivers can shop on the go. Determine which features are most important to be translated into the mobile app.
Buyer User Experience
Build out the Buyer flows and the buyer's shopping experience. Create Fashion callouts edits, and go into more depth
Reflections
My biggest challenge was managing my time because my due date was in the middle of this semester. I made a strict schedule, starting in December 2024, and I’m happy to be here at the end with a completed project that I am proud of.
Another challenge was choosing which feedback to follow and when to step back and reevaluate my presentation and design. With time constraints, I had to leave some areas as is and possibly revise them in the future.
