Alpa – 2nd hand service
In Spring 2019 Alpa launched 2nd hand -service which forwards used knitwear pieces to new owners. Alpa receives used knitwear pieces from its customers and offers a gift card in return. The received knitwear is sold to new customers through Alpa’s online store or physical store in Jyväskylä. The service extends the life cycle of the knitwear and values the raw materials.
Purpose
There has been a lot of demand for the 2nd hand -service. Many of our customers have been yearning for products that are not part of our regular collection anymore as well as a Facebook group dedicated to selling 2nd hand -knitwear. Alpa 2nd hand -service directly responds to our customers’ wishes.
We strongly believe in the quality and longevity of our knitwear pieces. The timeless and classic design ensures that our knitwear pieces will look fresh and stylish throughout years and years. Therefore, it is only natural to offer our customers a 2nd hand -service. Multiple owners extend the lifetime of the knitwear pieces and support the concept of Circular Economy. We want to show an example that products can hold value after they have been sold and used.
Results
Our goal is to show that used products also hold value. We are happy to announce that we have achieved this goal! Our customers are excited that they can get value for their used Alpa pieces if they are not wearing them anymore. Moreover, our customers impatiently wait every month when we launch new 2nd hand pieces to our website at a lower price. Buying 2nd hand also lowers the climate impact of the knitwear pieces.
By November 2020 we have forwarded 784 knitwear pieces to new homes through our 2nd hand -service!
Implementation
Our customers can send their Alpa knitwear pieces to us by mail or by bringing them to our store in Jyväskylä. The mailing will not cost anything to the customer. After receiving the products, we will evaluate the condition of the product and provide the customer with a gift card. The value of the gift card is determined by the condition of the knitwear.
After the customer receives the gift card, we will send the knitwear piece to the laundry house and repair any possible holes or other flaws. The knitwear piece will be sold through our online store or physical store. The price of the knitwear piece is also determined by its condition. We will gather all the 2nd hand pieces at the end of each month for Alpa’s 2nd hand drops when we launch them all for sale. Customers are notified of these 2nd hand drops by email.
This is a great example of how consumer goods companies have the possibility to find new business opportunities from circular business models and benefit from their own 2nd hand sales. This act is replicable also in other companies that are committed to high-quality products.
Thank you Alpa for showing that a circular economy is both fun and financially rewarding! This business model is nicely based on the combination of rewarding their customers, who are also the suppliers of the business. In this way, everybody wins and they are looking forward to the new collection of knitwear every month. This model is replicable in places such as small cities or large villages where people are respectful towards the community they live in.
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