ThredUp Working with Tommy Hilfiger To Introduce New Brand Customers

This is an interesting angle that takes off a concept that ThredUp started with Madewell. According to ChainStoreAge, Tommy Hilfiger and ThredUp are partnering on a new shopping portal. First, you can buy gently used Tommy items on the portal. But the more interesting part is that you can return used items of any brand, and Tommy men's items for credits towards purchases.

Credits for new purchases can be used online or in-store.

I like this for a few reasons:

- it encourages making use of your old purchases and helps brand messaging in this area

- it could reactivate old or lapsed customers to buy new in-line merchandise, so it could help with customer acquisition

As much as I like the mechanics of the problem, where Tommy could potentially get in trouble is authenticity. Is this part of a larger program? Is this concept necessary and strategic for the brand, or a "me too" offering?

Unlike brands such as REI and Patagonia, there isn't an obvious fit to me between the Tommy brand and sustainability.

As for ThredUp, they need official brand partners, and for them it's a customer acquisition strategy as well.

It's not like these resale-type marketplaces have been very profitable, and many of them are at serious risk.