Americans are planning to sell stuff and accumulate less, according to Mercari. Thirty-eight percent of people it surveyed said that simplifying their life and “accumulating less stuff” is one of their New Year’s resolutions for 2020.
That may be good for the mobile-selling app, but for serious online sellers, it could pose challenges if consumers are buying less, as well opportunities – for example, picking up items cheaply to resell elsewhere.
Mercari commissioned YouGov PLC to conduct a survey of approximately 1,000 American adults to learn more about their thoughts on tackling clutter in the New Year.
Some of its findings include the following:
- Over six in ten Americans (63%) say they “have too much stuff” – about the same percentage who say they have at least one closet, drawer, or room in their home “filled with stuff I no longer want or need” (59%).
- More than one-third of Americans (37%) say they’ve experienced “extreme anxiety” due to a messy or disorganized home, closet or garage. More than one in five (21%) said they’ve actually lost sleep for this reason.
A key takeaway, according to Mercari: most Americans are stressed out by clutter, but how they choose to address it varies by generation. It cited the following statistics from its survey:
- More than one-third (38%) of Americans said that simplifying their life and “accumulating less stuff” is one of their New Year’s resolutions for 2020.
- Three in 10 (30%) Gen Z Americans plan to sell their unwanted gifts, more than triple the percentage of Baby Boomers (9%) who say they plan to do so.
- Gen Xers are a little more likely to “regift” their holiday gift rejects — 32% plan to give unwanted holiday presents as gifts, vs. 28% of Americans overall.
Gender is also a factor, according to Mercari:
- Women are slightly more likely than men to regift: 30% said they’d regift unwanted presents, vs. 25% of men.
- Men are more likely than women to just hold onto unwanted gifts: 26%, vs. 19% of women.
CEO John Lagerling said younger consumers’ attitudes about clutter and sustainability is driving the “surging popularity of resale in the US.”
“Their mindset as consumers contrasts with their parents’ views, and their relationship with their possessions is changing,” he said.
SOURCE: Mercari Press Release
