Quable X Faume: delivering the best second-hand experience

The second-hand market has undergone a real transformation in recent years and has become extremely popular with both buyers and sellers. With the expansion of the internet, social media and the growing use of technology, the second-hand sector is enjoying a new lease of life. As a result, it has become essential to provide users of resale platforms with a high-quality, personalised product and customer experience. The PIM (Product Information Manager) is the ideal platform for ensuring a seamless product experience and a flawless customer journey. Thanks to its flexibility and rich functionality, the PIM fully meets the requirements of e-commerce and the second-hand market.

Who are Faume and Quable?

Faume is a platform that enables brands to venture into the second-hand market with confidence. Implementing a second-hand strategy often involves numerous technological and logistical challenges. Faume therefore offers to manage all the complexities surrounding a brand’s second-hand items, enabling it to roll out its range of pre-owned products quickly and easily across Europe. The second-hand market requires specific processes, and the collection and resale of thousands of unique items represent steps that take brands away from traditional retail. These operations are costly, time-consuming and tedious, and Faume aims to invest in these processes in order to optimise them.

In practical terms, the Faume platform handles the collection of the brand’s second-hand items, either online or in-store. It then authenticates the products – verifying that they are genuine brand items – and assesses their condition. Faume is then responsible for repairing and cleaning the item received, photographing it, and agreeing on the price and merchandising of the product. Finally, the start-up is responsible for dispatching it in a manner consistent with the brand’s image. Faume can boast of having rolled out the second-hand offering for prestigious fashion brands across Europe, such as: ba&sh, Sandro, Isabel Marant Vintage, The Kooples and Hugo Boss.

The Quable platform, meanwhile, is a PIM & DAM solution. It enables brands to centralise, enrich, update and distribute all product-related information (descriptions, composition, media, etc.). Thanks to its flexibility, the platform adapts to all sectors (fashion, luxury, furniture, household appliances, manufacturing, etc.), and all key business functions can contribute to product data: marketing, e-commerce, product management, R&D, category managers, etc. For the second-hand market, the PIM platform is a powerful ally in delivering comprehensive, complete and reliable product data, ensuring the brand’s accuracy.

The second-hand market

The second-hand market presents a lucrative opportunity for brands. Whether it’s clothing, electronics, furniture, cultural products or household appliances… in France and around the world, this trend is becoming an increasingly common part of consumers’ daily lives. According to the market research firm Enov, at least 64 per cent of French people have bought a second-hand item at some point in their lives, and 43 per cent buy one every month.

With the second-hand market in France worth 7 billion euros in 2021, no particular socio-professional category or customer profile seems to stand out when it comes to buying second-hand items, although young consumers do make up the majority. For buyers, the decision to purchase second-hand goods is primarily driven by financial considerations, but also by environmental concerns and the opportunity to afford branded or even luxury items.

In terms of e-commerce, the second-hand market is also performing very well: 67 per cent of second-hand purchases are made online, with two main leaders: Le Bon Coin and Vinted. However, there are still certain barriers and concerns that make visitors reluctant to buy second-hand goods online. 77 per cent of French people believe that buying a second-hand product carries a risk. Among the main barriers to purchase are the lack of a guarantee or after-sales service, and the difficulty of returns and refunds.

Online, it is also much easier to buy a counterfeit item, as platforms such as Vinted sometimes verify the authenticity of items rather half-heartedly. Peer-to-peer resale platforms also rely on the good faith of sellers, which can sometimes be lacking on the part of buyers. Prospective consumers are therefore looking for online platforms where second-hand products are genuinely authenticated and where after-sales service is reliable – similar, for example, to a luxury consignment shop, where experts authenticate the products and guarantee their authenticity.

Faume and PIM in enhancing the second-hand experience

Faume relies heavily on the rich functionality of a PIM such as Quable. The high quality of the data, and the fact that it is fully available and accessible, guarantees a high-quality second-hand product experience for the brand.

Streamlining the management and reliability of product information

With PIM, product management is significantly optimised. The preliminary work on the brand’s data model subsequently enables all product-related data to be cleaned up. As a result, products are carefully categorised and all information (descriptions, materials, photos, videos, etc.) is centralised within a single repository. By implementing workflows tailored to each employee’s role, everyone knows what they need to do and when they need to contribute, regardless of which team they are in (product, R&D, e-commerce, digital, etc.). The PIM becomes THE definitive source of information regarding the brand’s products. This information is automatically updated to provide prospective customers with the most accurate product details possible.

By relying on such a solution, platforms like Faume make the most of data quality. For a visitor looking to buy second-hand, this product information is invaluable. It guarantees the item’s authenticity, quality and accuracy. This is all the more important when it comes to premium or luxury brands. Visitors need reassurance regarding the product’s authenticity to avoid fraud, which is why they are more likely to trust dedicated websites rather than peer-to-peer resale platforms, such as Vinted, for example.

Improving the visibility of second-hand products

Searching for a product online on a so-called ‘traditional’ website can be tedious. In the mind of a prospective customer, searching on a second-hand site can sometimes be daunting; there is a fear of having to rummage through items and that the products may not be properly presented, as is the case in some second-hand shops, for example. A platform developed by Faume, powered by a PIM such as Quable, delivers the same product experience as the brand’s original website. With comprehensive, detailed and accurate information, users are presented with the most consistent range of products. The data is automatically updated, meaning the products in question can be found much more quickly and easily.

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Reducing time-to-market

In a highly competitive sector such as ready-to-wear fashion, time-to-market is a valuable competitive advantage. Products that are highly sought-after by visitors will be prioritised based on whether or not they are in stock. A product that is readily available and visible, coupled with detailed, accurate and reliable information, will easily stand out in the eyes of the prospective customer.

Optimising the customer experience

Delivering a brand-specific customer experience for second-hand products is a luxury that makes all the difference to customers. Visitors come looking for the brand’s products and the experience that goes with them. For businesses, it is therefore a real advantage to be able to replicate their brand experience across all their sales channels.

Easy distribution across all channels

Thanks to its powerful functionality, a PIM solution allows you to import and export product data in bulk and then distribute it very quickly. The Quable PIM also offers extensive interoperability: the PIM can easily connect with most platforms in your ecosystem, such as Shopify, PrestaShop and Magento…

Several features also allow your teams to choose which information to push to which channel (website, retailers, distributors, etc.), such as stock levels, for example. Implementing automated processes frees up time for your teams, which can then be reallocated to other tasks with greater added value.

In short, a platform such as Quable PIM ensures data consistency, with information easily distributed across all the brand’s sales channels. This is a real boon for a platform like Faume, which can thus guarantee a customer experience that is consistent with the brand.

Personalising shopping experiences and analysing consumer behaviour

Relying on a PIM such as Quable to personalise shopping experiences ensures a higher conversion rate. Some platforms can offer product recommendations based on consumer behaviour. To do this, they require reliable, high-quality data provided by the PIM. Consistent, detailed and accurate data is therefore invaluable to these platforms, enabling them to offer tailored information based on purchasing preferences and thereby enhance the customer experience.

Conclusion

Brands are increasingly turning their attention to the second-hand market, whether in fashion, household appliances, electronics, mid-range, high-end or luxury goods. Online, consumers’ reservations and fears present a real opportunity for brands wishing to create a dedicated second-hand marketplace that guarantees the authenticity and condition of second-hand products. For such a project to succeed, it must rely on experts in the field such as Faume, which is no stranger to this sort of venture and can draw on the power of a PIM such as Quable. Launching a second-hand website, backed by reliable, accurate, detailed and comprehensive data, subsequently delivers a customer and product experience that reflects the brand’s image; a unique and undoubtedly competitive advantage.