A New Era of Retail Reinvention

The retail industry has always been defined by reinvention, but the pace and scale of change over the past fifteen years have been nothing short of extraordinary. Consumer expectations are radically different now, and convenience, transparency, sustainability, and purpose-driven shopping have moved to the forefront of consumer priorities.

Consumers are rethinking what ownership even means. They’re no longer just buying—they’re renting, reselling, reusing, and swapping. These shifts have forced brands to revisit long-standing retail models and ask: How do we continue creating value, even after the first sale?

One of the most exciting answers?  With Recommerce and Corporate Trade.

Recommerce Revealed

Recommerce, short for “reverse commerce” is the buying and selling of pre-owned goods. While the concept isn’t new, its modern form is far more sophisticated than that of garage sales, consignment shops or Facebook Marketplace. Today, Recommerce is sleek, more digitally evolved, and rapidly gaining ground, driven by consumers who care as much about sustainability and value as they do about convenience and style.

What’s especially compelling about Recommerce is how brands are leading the charge. Rather than leaving the resale of their products in the hands of consumers and third-party platforms, many companies are reclaiming their own products—authenticating, refurbishing, and reselling them directly to consumers. Brands like Nike, Lululemon, Apple, Samsung, Michael Kors, and Levi’s have all launched dedicated Recommerce programs, reflecting a broader shift toward more circular, brand-led ecosystems.

Recommerce on the Rise

According to Retail Dive, the global resale market is projected to reach $250 billion by 2027. This projected growth is driven by four key forces: shifting consumer behavior, evolving brand strategies, economic pressures, and a rising demand for sustainability.

Today’s consumers, especially Millennials and Gen Z are shopping with intention. They’re looking for affordability, sustainability, individuality, and low-impact consumption factoring in as a major role in their buying decisions. The stigma once associated with second-hand shopping is long gone. In fact, resale has become the preferred way to shop for many younger buyers, presenting brands with both a challenge and an opportunity: adapt, or risk irrelevance. Economic conditions are also accelerating this trend. With price sensitivity on the rise, Recommerce allows brands to meet value-driven shoppers where they are, offering quality products at lower price points while still extracting some of the original value from this type of inventory. Finally, the sustainability mandate is impossible to ignore. Governments are introducing stricter waste-reduction policies, and consumers are holding brands accountable for product lifecycles. Companies are being pushed to think beyond the point of sale—and Recommerce is quickly becoming a key part of that strategy.

A Closer Look at Corporate Trade and Its Value to Brands

Corporate trade, also known as corporate barter, has supported and been part of the circular economy for decades. While Corporate Trade’s roots date back to more traditional forms of business exchanges, it’s evolved into a highly strategic tool being widely adopted and frequently used by brands to claim unrealized value from unsold, obsolete, or underperforming company assets that might otherwise be destined for landfills or liquidation.

Here’s how corporate trade works: Consider a company with slow-moving, returned or obsolete product inventory that can no longer be sold at full price retail but still holds some value. Instead of taking a loss by selling at a deep discount or, worse, sending it to a landfill, the brand can activate corporate trade to restore the product’s full value. In exchange, they receive trade credits used to offset their operational costs such as advertising costs.

Corporate Trade Refuels Recommerce

Much like Recommerce, Corporate Trade helps extend the lifecycle of goods and reduces waste. Additionally, it creates a financial mechanism to reinvest in forward-thinking initiatives. Used in combination, they can be a strategic bridge between excess inventory and helping fund growth.

Imagine a brand that has launched a Recommerce program. They are now looking to resell returned, outdated, or preowned products that are no longer viable for full-price retail, but still have some value. Instead of selling at a loss, incurring additional costs for refurb and resell, or having to eventually discard them, the company uses Corporate Trade to reclaim the full value of the inventory at the time of its original purchase. In return, they receive trade credits for that recaptured value that can be used to fund operational business expenses—like media campaigns promoting a Recommerce launch, or operations support for a resale platform.

The Future Is Circular—and Strategic

As retail continues to evolve, so must the strategies that support it. Recommerce and Corporate Trade are redefining the ways we think about ownership, inventory, and value creation, and proving to be essential enablers in the practice of sustainable brand planning. Together, these two models offer brands a new path —balancing profitability with purpose. For those ready to rethink beyond the first sale and embrace the full lifecycle of your products, now is the time to unlock the hidden value in your products through that lifecycle and move toward a smarter, more sustainable retail model.