Summary

The renewed growth in e-commerce is fundamentally changing market dynamics. Increasing sales volumes do not only raise revenue, but also returns, price pressure, and unused product flows after the initial sale. As a result, re-commerce is evolving from a complementary measure into a strategic necessity. This article explains why the secondary market is becoming a central lever for margin stability, customer retention, and brand value and how companies can avoid value loss and unlock new revenue streams through controlled resale and trade-in models.

For the first time since 2021, e-commerce is growing in every quarter. Marketplaces continue to gain share, while re-commerce is exploding with growth of +21.8%. For brands, this means: more volume, more returns, more unused value or a new revenue source if it is actively managed.

A computer keyboard featuring a shopping cart symbol.

How E-Commerce Growth Leads to Structural Change

Online retail is returning to a clear growth trajectory. Merchandise revenue rises to €83.1 billion, an increase of 3.2% compared to the previous year. This growth is not driven by individual outliers, but by more stable fundamentals. Heavy buyers remain active, the average order value increases slightly, and digital services grow significantly faster than merchandise trade at+7.3%. For brands and retailers, this is an important signal: the market is not saturated, but reorganizing. Growth emerges where processes scale, assortments broaden, and international players set the pace. This also explains why e-commerce is growing while complexity and side effects increase at the same time.

With every additional online sale, not only does revenue grow, but so does the volume of returns, B-stock, and secondary goods. E-commerce growth is therefore not only a demand issue, but above all a structural issue, with direct consequences for costs, margins, and the secondary market.

What Is Currently Happening in the Market

Marketplaces Gain Control, Brands Lose It

Online marketplaces are growing significantly faster than the overall market. Platforms of Chinese origin such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress in particular are posting double-digit growth and continue to gain reach and volume. The reason is no secret: extremely low prices, high turnover speed, and minimal brand loyalty. Purchase decisions become interchangeable, loyalty becomes secondary. The market is shifting from brand value to transaction logic.This results in two consequences. First, price pressure in the primary market continues to increase. Second, the volume of products that remain in the system after initial use grows. These goods find their way into the secondary market—organized by platforms, not by brands.

Re-Commerce Grows Faster Than Primary Sales

The commercial trade in used goods is growing around seven times faster than traditional e-commerce. This is less a question of ideology than of efficiency. Used products are cheaper, quickly available, and in many categories qualitatively sufficient. For many customers, functionality matters more than the fact that a product is new.

Re-Commerce as a Margin Buffer in the Price War

E-commerce growth increases volume but also intensifies price pressure in the primary market. Marketplaces, promotions, and international players set prices and squeeze margin per unit.Re-commerce counteracts this as a second margin. The goods have already been paid for, marketing costs are low, and pricing logic is more flexible than in the new-goods business. This creates additional revenue where primary sales reach their limits. The outcome is: more stable gross margins despite declining primary sales prices.

a warehouse with packages

Returns Turn from a Cost Block into a Revenue Channel

Returns rise proportionally with online volume and, in the traditional model, are above all one thing: a cost block. Logistics, quality inspection, and depreciation burden margins without generating additional revenue. In re-commerce, this logic changes. Returns are systematically evaluated, selectively refurbished, and resold, rather than written off or dumped via third-party channels. This turns an operational loss item into a calculable revenue stream. This leads to lower write-downs and additional revenue, without new production.

Re-Commerce Creates Recurring Touchpoints

In many categories, the initial sale is a one-time event. After that, the connection breaks off, even though the product remains in use. Re-commerce deliberately extends this relationship. Buy-back, trade-in, or second-life offers create concrete reasons to actively bring customers back. This creates recurring touchpoints along the product lifecycle, not through discounts, but through relevance. Companies benefit from higher resale rates, improved customer lifetime value, and lower acquisition costs.

Control Over Price, Brand, and the Secondary Market

If brands do not manage re-commerce themselves, platforms or third-party providers fill this gap. Resale then takes place outside the brand’s own systems, with unclear quality standards, inconsistent pricing, and little consideration for brand impact. Proprietary re-commerce reverses this logic. Clear grading standards, transparent pricing logic, and brand-consistent presentation ensure that control and trust are maintained even in the secondary market. The benefit: brand protection in the secondary market and long-term value stability.

Why E-Commerce Growth Automatically Generates Re-Commerce

More primary sales automatically create more second-life potential. This is not a trend, but a chain reaction.

More volume → more returns: Even with stable return rates, the absolute volume increases. Every return is either a cost block or a product with secondary value.

Higher order values → higher resale value: The average shopping cart increases to €146.19. This significantly improves the economics of refurbishment and resale.

Stable heavy buyers → predictable secondary demand:Every third online customer shops multiple times per week. These buyers accept re-commerce when quality, price, and convenience are right.

Growth in e-commerce makes re-commerce not optional, but economically inevitable.

Practical Playbook: How to Use the Momentum

  • Sort systematically‍
    Separate A-grade goods, B-stock, returns, and used products early. Mixed inventories kill margins.‍
  • Standardize evaluation‍
    Same criteria, same grades, same prices. Scale beats case-by-case logic.‍
  • Refurbish selectively‍
    Not everything is worth it. Focus on products with durability, brand value, and clear secondary demand.‍
  • Close the loop‍
    Buy-back, vouchers, trade-in. Every secondary sale can prepare the next primary sale.

If you want to launch your own re-commerce program, we implement your branded resale with koorvi. This way, you retain full control over margin, brand, and the secondary market.

FAQs

Why does re-commerce grow faster than E-commerce?

Supply and demand in Re-commerce grow at the same time. More online sales automatically generate more secondary goods, while increasing price awareness strengthens demand for used products.

Is it only a sustainability topic?

No. Re-commerce is primarily a margin and revenue topic. It unlocks additional revenue from already produced goods, reduces write-downs, and stabilizes profitability amid growing price pressure in the primary market. The sustainability effect is real and relevant, but it is the result, not the driver. Less new production, longer usage cycles, and lower resource consumption measurably improve the environmental footprint. At the same time, this strengthens trust among price-sensitive and value-driven customers.

Which categories are particularly suitable for Re-commerce?

Re-commerce works wherever products are durable, have a stable resale value, and trust in the brand exists. Categories that are particularly well suited include fashion, electronics, household appliances, furniture, and children’s products. What these segments have in common is that signs of use are accepted, functionality is paramount, and buyers are willing to pay for verified quality even in second-life goods. In addition, there are often natural upgrade cycles that make returns and secondary sales predictable.

Do I need my own shop for this?

Having your own shop is not strictly necessary. What matters, however, is having your own interface through which pricing, brand presentation, and customer data are controlled. Without it, you give up a significant part of the value creation.

At what scale does Re-commerce become worthwhile?

Re-commerce becomes worthwhile as soon as returns, B-stock, or used goods occur on a regular basis. Even small volumes can be economically viable if processes are cleanly structured. As e-commerce grows, the effect scales significantly because more goods and more predictable demand come together.