New Survey Shows Children’s Resale Shopping Gaining Traction among U.S. Parents

More than Two-Thirds of U.S. Parents Shop Resale, Save $500 Annually, Study Says

Children’s resale shopping is a growing trend among U.S. consumers, according to a newly released survey conducted by an independent research firm out of Ohio, whose findings showed that more than two-thirds of American families purchased items for their children at resale stores during the past two years.

The study, a random sampling of 500 consumers of children’s products and conducted by Great Lakes Marketing, Inc., found that U.S. parents spend more than $100 per month on clothing, toys and accessories for their children each year. Other key findings include:

The survey, commissioned by Michigan-based Children’s Orchard to help provide direction for the chain’s new branding campaign, was conducted in late 2004 in five major markets across the country, including southern California, Boston, southeastern Michigan, Kansas City, KS and Kansas City, MO. Children’s Orchard is a 25-year-old retail leader of the upscale resale category specializing in gently used and quality name-brand children’s clothing and products with nearly 100 Franchise locations in 25 states.

“The results of this study are representative of the shopping habits of the typical parent, which helps us significantly as a retail chain to know what makes our customers tick, and be able to shape our marketing efforts accordingly,” said Taylor Bond, President and CEO of Children’s Orchard. “From the results, we see that upscale resale is a growing trend among parents, saving them $500 a year by spending approximately 32 percent less on their children’s products over traditional retail stores. And as far as selling items their children have outgrown or no longer use, it shows us that they would rather sell it through us than other channels.”

NOTE: Nearly 75 percent of Children’s Orchard customers who participated in the survey have an annual household income of more than $50,000, with 24 percent over $100,000.

About Children’s Orchard

Founded in 1980, Children’s Orchard is the nation’s first franchise of gently used and new name-brand kids clothing and products. With nearly 100 franchise locations in 25 states, each Children’s Orchard location buys and sells quality used and new children’s brand name clothing, toys and accessories in an upscale retail environment. Children’s Orchard stores are designed to emphasize quality, value, comfort and commitment to the local community.