Innovation

Sustainable consumption, bringing together secondhand sellers and buyers, is the theme of Secondhand September. In September, Posti, a state-owned postal service and logistics company in Finland partnered with 11 well-known secondhand operators to highlight the importance, and opportunities of purchasing used goods. The campaign involved various partners, from large platforms like Tori to smaller players like Emmy who all contributed by utilizing their channels to raise awareness.

The campaign aims to promote secondhand shopping as a significant trend in e-commerce. Posti oversees the campaign, media viability, and coordination of activities with influencers, and the partners are asked to use their channels to promote the campaign. Posti invited competitors like Vaihtokapula and Fonum to the campaign, demonstrating the united aim to create a circular economy and sustainability awareness.

Posti believes this initiative's uniqueness is that they have competitors, like teleoperator businesses, participating this year. The company wanted to do this campaign with other industry stakeholders because sustainable consumption is a significant phenomenon that must be tackled on a systemic level. Furthermore, secondhand shopping is growing in the e-commerce sphere, at flea markets, and in the Internet marketplace. More prominent brands like Marimekko and Kalevala Koru already offer their second-hand items.

Inspiration

The Secondhand September campaign aims to promote sustainability through secondhand  shopping. Posti noted that secondhand shopping is already a common practice among  Finnish consumers. As a significant postal service that handles most e-commerce parcels,  Posti wanted to enhance this habit by creating a campaign encouraging consumers to  consider secondhand options and sell unused items. The head of business, consumers and  re-commerce said: “It is all about sustainability, one of the cornerstones of Posti. We have a  sustainability program, and circular economy is part of that. We thought about how we could bring sustainability and our sustainable values in Posti to each individual. Secondhand  is something that almost everybody is already doing. Everybody can have their own  experience and take part in this phenomenon.”  

The company wanted to expand outside their own company reach by inviting other  businesses to used item e-commerce.  The head of business said, “We  are just the logistic partner who delivers those goods from one consumer to another. Then we thought, okay, but we have multiple customers, and that's why we came up with the  idea of collecting different kinds of second-hand players together. Their are big companies, for  example Tori, can do advertising and marketing by themselves,  but then their are smaller players that do not have the resources. Even inside the big companies, they have a small  department and are not known among consumers. We decided to collect all those together  and grow consumers' understanding and knowledge.” 

Overall impact

Posti aims to make secondhand shopping a habit. Currently, it is challenging to measure the impact as the company ran this campaign for the second time. Also, it is difficult to  estimate the effect due to multiple engaged partners. Some results will be used internally,  while others will be shared in the sustainability report that Posti will launch at the beginning  of the year. For example, how many more secondhand buyers were brought by the specific  partner, or how many more parcels did Posti see in their production? Posti had those  numbers, and those were rising. The campaign reached out to 3 million people overall.  

The marketing campaign has KPIs; for example, what is the impact on our brand, how well  did we reach the audience, and how many customers has Posti reached? Then, through  social media channels, Posti received positive feedback and raised interest, so consumers  on Instagram and TikTok. The head of business, consumers and re-commerce said: “The  best thing was that we owned it [the campaign]. The only feedback we got was positive.  This was the campaign that consumers, business partners, and B2B clients took very  positively.” There was also increased interest from other companies not part of the  campaign, asking how they could be part of it.

Finally, Posti received feedback from an advertising agency in New York and was also on  the national morning news. So that was also a spectacular moment for the head of business,  consumers and re-commerce.

Business benefit

The head of business, consumers and re-commerce listed the following benefits for their  business. First is the ecosystem collaboration; for example, the uniqueness is that even Posti competitors were in the same campaign this year. Posti chose to do this with their  partners because sustainable consumption is a big theme. Posti believes that initiatives  need to be done together instead of only competing against each other. Different business  models are popping up as the circular economy is evolving and increasing fast. Therefore,  this ecosystem can help all the players, not just logistics or circular economy companies.  Making the circular economy more effective and desirable for consumers is also important.

Second, the campaign's success is measured through positive feedback, increased  customer participation, and an increased number of partners. For example, the campaign  has encouraged more businesses to get involved and has received international  recognition. Posti started a campaign in 2023 with only five partners; this year, there were  already 11 partners. Posti is considering extending the campaign and inviting more partners  in the future.  

Lastly, the campaign created a phenomenon and interest in the companies that did not  participate. For example, Instagram is not part of the campaign or an e-commerce store.  However, sustainability is part of its business, too, said the head of business, consumers and  re-commerce.  

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Social and environmental benefit

Posti's campaign is designed to inspire individuals to take concrete steps toward sustainable consumption. By encouraging people to embrace the "second-hand effect"—the environmental benefit of purchasing pre-owned items over new ones—Posti aims to make this choice a regular habit among consumers. The company believes that every small action can contribute to a broader shift in consumer behavior, aligning with global sustainability goals. As the Head of Business, Consumers, and Re-commerce explains, “We may have gotten  x number of people to try secondhand for the first time. That's the first step, but Posti  hopes their customers will do it again, the second time, a third time, or a fourth time. If we  can get even one person to consider buying something used the next time, they buy  something new, we've succeeded.”
The ultimate success of this campaign, according to Posti, is not just in introducing people to the concept but in influencing them to consider secondhand first every time they shop, creating a meaningful, long-term impact on both individual consumption patterns and the planet.

Interview

Elina Rosenlund, Head of Business, Consumers and Re-commerce