Carousell Recommerce Index 2021 Reveals Growing Support For Sustainable Consumption And Circular Economy

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Pragmatism and pandemic disruptions pave the way for greater acceptance across Fashion, Electronics and Autos categories in Malaysia



Carousell Group, the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia, addresses the issue of overconsumption in its inaugural Carousell Recommerce Index 2021, a Carousell Green initiative to highlight the importance of sustainability and recommerce in the Greater Southeast Asia region. The report covers findings from four Carousell Group brands namely Carousell, Chợ Tốt, Mudah.my and OneKyat, across eight markets - Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, involving over 3,000 buyers and sellers.

In Malaysia, almost eight out of 10 people have made secondhand purchases before, with a strong preference for buying Photography and Electronics such as computers, mobile phones and tablets (46%). Meanwhile, top-selling categories are Home, Furniture and Appliances (48%), with thousands of items making their way to new homes instead of landfills, providing income to sellers and delivering value for money to buyers.

“At Carousell, we have always aimed to provide a new lease of life for underused items, as a means to reduce waste and to help people get more value for money. Over the last two years, normal consumer behaviour has been upended by the pandemic, hence the Carousell Recommerce Index is a timely ‘report card’ on where we are now, and how we can make secondhand the first choice in our effort to practice a more sustainable lifestyle and support a circular economy,” explained Tang Siew Wai, Country Head (Malaysia), Carousell.

As for motivations for buying secondhand, 78% of Malaysian respondents who have purchased secondhand items before cite ‘value for money’ as the top reason, coming out ahead of the regional average of 68%.

Overall in the region, Fashion remains the top category with the most secondhand listings (29%), with Women’s Fashion dominating the top spot across the region, and Men’s Fashion becoming increasingly popular. This is echoed in Malaysia where Men’s Fashion surged 76% in listing views and 74% in listings created on Carousell Malaysia, with men’s tops followed by sneakers as the most popular purchases. Men’s Fashion also saw strong interest on Mudah.my, leading the way for its parent category Home and Personal Items to reach second place in 2020.

However, on Mudah.my, Autos takes the lead from 2018 - 2020 in terms of the most number of secondhand listings and the most demand for secondhand. With the launch of the Carousell Auto Group earlier this year, this category is anticipated to be a key area of growth as more individuals seek safe and reliable vehicles for safety and other reasons, without the burden of financing a new set of wheels.

Regardless of fluctuations in buying and selling, Carousell Group continues to make headway in fostering community while promoting secondhand. This includes Malaysia’s Betul-betul Free campaign, which was inspired by generous users who listed items for free using the hashtag #blessings. The popularity of the campaign led to a dedicated Free Items category that is now available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines on Carousell, as well as Chợ Tốt in Vietnam and OneKyat in Myanmar.

Lucas Ngoo, Co-founder, Carousell Group said, “As a pioneer for mobile classifieds in the region, Carousell Group has been constantly working to remove friction and enable secure, seamless transactions. With the use of AI and data, we have been focused on accelerating our recommerce leadership in the region to make buying secondhand trusted and convenient. This, in turn, will help to solve the meaningful problem of overconsumption with recommerce and thus make secondhand the first choice for consumers.”

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