Why More Companies Are Getting in on the Resale Game

For a long time, conventional wisdom ruled that companies should
avoid reselling their own products in used condition. There’s the
threat of cannibalization, marketing confusion, and tricky
logistics that can erase margins. But more name-brand retailers are
jumping into resale, says Wharton marketing professor Tom
Robertson. Thanks in part to Gen Z with its zeal for
sustainability, he says consumer demand is rising fast for reused
goods. He sees a revolution where brands cash in on resale, knowing
that if they don’t own those customer relationships and sales,
others will. Robertson wrote the HBR article “The Resale
Revolution.”