This comes following a successful pairing last summer when eBay took over from the fashion retailer I Saw It First. The partnership directly influenced the shopping habits of consumers.

ITV released research showing 53% of viewers who were aware of the partnership bought second-hand or pre-loved clothes in the past three months.

In addition, 23% of Love Island viewers have admitted to making their first ever pre-loved purchase this summer.

Startups Magazine teamed up with MANGOPAY, a customisable and adaptable payment solution for marketplaces and platforms, to see how the subsequent increase in traffic offers marketplaces a huge opportunity to grow their base.

Improving the purchasing process

Luke Trayfoot, Chief Revenue Officer at MANGOPAY discusses how improving the purchasing process and offering multiple payment options will achieve this.

“Love Island’s decision to partner with eBay last summer caused a huge surge in second-hand popularity, with Google reporting a 660% increase in searches for ‘pre-loved’ following the announcement. With eBay’s sponsorship renewed for the current series, resale marketplaces are likely to experience increased website traffic as more viewers hop on the pre-loved trend.

“Between their increasing importance within popular culture and the cost-of-living crisis, resale marketplaces have a huge opportunity to significantly grow their user base. If they are going to convert new visitors into repeat users, however, they must ensure that every aspect of the purchase process is seamless – including payments. 

“This means providing an array of payment methods to suit all users’ preferences, whether they are buyers or sellers. As consumers navigate today’s economic challenges, they want to use the most effective and convenient method to their spending habits whether that’s on debit or credit card through BNPL options.

“That said, creating a sophisticated payments environment with multiple payment options can be a complex task for marketplace platforms, compared to traditional e-commerce sites.

“As the resale fashion market is predicted to grow a further 52% between 2023 and 2026, marketplace platforms need to work with sophisticated payment infrastructure providers, to give operators the means to navigate the likes of pay in methods, pay out speed, effective fraud prevention, and currency conversions while providing a seamless shopping experience.” 

Pre-loved popularity

Zineddine Izeboudjene, Head of UK and Ireland at MANGOPAY commented on how an increase in pre-loved popularity can help drive business growth: “In the past year, brands such as Zara and Pretty Little Thing have launched their own resale marketplaces to create additional revenue streams, enhance customer loyalty during the cost-of-living crisis, and reach a broader range of customers.

“Although popular culture trends may cause occasional surges in web traffic, this alone is not enough to drive sales. With more marketplaces being created, there is a greater need to remain competitive. 88% of consumers claim they would abandon an online purchase if faced with friction, therefore generating a sales strategy that looks to streamline the payments process is key.

“This can be achieved far more efficiently by partnering with easy-to-integrate payment infrastructure providers – allowing marketplaces to support business growth and enabling operators to stay ahead of the curve.” 

A step in the right direction

This eBay x Love Island collaboration is a prime example of how the resale market is shifting from niche to mainstream. We are seeing more big-name retailers recognise the opportunity for strategic growth presented by the surge in pre-loved popularity.