We’re thrilled to announce that our circularity platform is expanding again! This time we’re tackling overstock, samples, and damaged products with a solution we’re calling “Off-Price”.

The problem

Overstock, samples, and damaged products aren’t talked about nearly as much as returns, but they’re just problematic for brands from a business and sustainability perspective.

The problem comes down to the fact that there are no viable channels through which to sell these products. As a result, brands only have two options for getting them off the books – liquidation or landfills. Both options destroy value and result in staggering environmental harm. Each year, millions of surplus products end up in developing countries. Some of these products are resold in secondhand markets there, though this option is losing viability due to declining prices resulting from declining quality. What can’t be resold is dumped into deserts or bodies of water, or burned for fuel. These options are simply not sustainable, nor are they justifiable.

The solution

Instead of liquidating or discarding these products, brands now have a third option – selling them through their own off-price stores. Giving these products another chance to be sold is more sustainable and it unlocks far more value than the alternatives. There’s also the added benefit of attracting new shoppers who are hunting for good deals and for hard-to-find looks. Off-Price makes reselling surplus inventory easy and profitable for brands of all sizes.

How it works

Simplicity was our guiding principle in designing Off-Price. We relied heavily on automating manual tasks and tying into existing workflows to flatten the learning curve. The result is a resale solution that takes an hour to set up, largely runs itself, and is affordable for brands of all sizes. Let’s look at some of the highlights.

Branded Store

Each brand receives its own off-price store that is customized to reflect its look and messaging. Off-Price can be used on its own or alongside our Peer-to-Peer Resale or Trade-In solutions. These additional solutions fit seamlessly into the brand’s store so customers can take advantage of the full scope of the brand’s pre-loved program in one place.

Shopify

We upgraded our Shopify app to automatically identify surplus items. Our app looks for archived products that are tagged for import, and then processes those products based on the tags that are applied to them. Tagging a product takes seconds.

Automation

Tagged products are imported into a queue in our platform. From there, automation rules set by the brand are applied to each product based on its type. The rules include whether to automatically list the product for sale, how the item should be priced, and what condition should be applied to it.

Fulfillment

Once an item is sold, our platform recreates the order in Shopify so that it can be fulfilled using the brand’s existing workflow. We also provide the option to fulfill the order through our platform, which updates Shopify too. Brands may use our carbon-neutral shipping, in which case we’ll handle generating labels and tracking packages, or they may use their own shipping partner and charge their own shipping rates (which we’ll collect on behalf of the brand). It’s also worth highlighting that we keep track of inventory balances for all products that are processed through Off-Price.

A strategy anyone can afford

We believe that the best way to make meaningful and lasting change in the apparel industry is to ensure that circularity solutions are available to all brands, not just the largest ones. That’s why we decided to make Off-Price available on a commission-only basis. By eliminating subscription fees, we also eliminate a barrier to getting started.

Want to learn more?

Selling overstock, samples, and damaged products through a dedicated surplus store is a far better option from a business and a sustainability perspective. We’ve made it easy and affordable for brands of all sizes to employ this strategy.

Please visit our website to learn more about Surplus or any of our other circularity solutions. If you’re interested in a deeper dive into our circularity platform, please request a demo.