Recommerce is a brand new buzz word that is starting to become mainstream online. There are some really great brands that are building a portfolio, selling and making money through recommerce. So what is recommerce and is it available on Shopify?

What is Recommerce?

Recommerce is the combination of two elements. ‘Re’ as in redo, replay, reuse and commerce. Therefore, recommerce is the act of selling something that has been sold before again without throwing it away. It is essentially the next step in the organic process of upcycling that has been around for numerous years.

However, with recommerce you don’t have to add or change the item as you do with recommerce. Recommerce has several different elements to it. For instance there is:

Resale/Returns: This is where a product has been sold previous and has now been returned by the customer for some reason. An effective Returns Policy is crucial for successful recommerce, as it allows you to manage customer expectations and maintain product quality.
Refurbishment: This is the updating of some products with new parts or equipment to make them more modern. This is very popular in technology brands.
Upcycling: Items are changed or combined to make new products that can be sold.

What are the Benefits of Recommerce

There are numerous benefits of recommerce when it comes to selling online. The first is that returned items that are un-opened are often sold again. This is technically recommerce and is often practised. You will get 100% of the value by selling them again. Those products that have been opened can sometimes be resold, but you can lose some value to them, however it is more cost effective for brands to do this than to simply through away the item.

In addition, there has been a big growth in the demand for recycling products. In fact some brands are making lots of money from this greener ecommerce model and it is one of the top investment choices.

It can also help your reputation. A lot of brands do use ecological practices as a marketing tool and you can do that too. This eco-friendly approach can help you get more customers for your recommerce brand, as many consumers are increasingly environmentally conscious.

Finally, some recommercing can be very profitable for your brand. The costs for getting in some materials can be very cheap. You might be able to get free donations from house clearances or pick up items at a fraction of the price that they would cost new.

In addition, because upcycling often means that products are more unique, customers are more interested in them and prices can often be higher. To encourage fewer returns and maximize profitability, focus on clear product descriptions and high-quality images to set accurate customer expectations.

Does Shopify Allow you to Recommerce?

Yes, you are able to recommerce on Shopify. You don’t need a special account, one of the basic Shopify accounts can be used to recommerce. This is great for smaller businesses who want to enter this market. There are no apps that are required to recommerce your website.

It’s important to understand that it integrates seamlessly with your Shopify business operations. You can list recommerce items just like any other product, manage inventory, and process orders using Shopify’s standard features.