Shannon Flanagan: Good morning everybody. I know everyone had a ton of fun last night, but we’re grateful you’re here. You’re going to love the content. If you’re a little sleepy, I think we’ll wake you up. I’m Shannon Flanagan, founder of Retail Women in Tech, a community for women and allies with a passion for retail and technology, and Retail Connected, which focuses on change management with AI optimization. Let’s do introductions and then dive into the content.

Alexis Hoopes: I’m Alexis Hoopes, Global VP Fashion for eBay. I recently joined eBay after launching a D2C business at Mattel and working at Nordstrom. Lots of experience in retail—now in commerce and marketplace, excited to discuss this topic.

Shannon Flanagan: AI is the number one topic, but recommerce is a close second and disrupting retail. There are so many names—reuse, refurbish, secondhand, resell, circular, pre-owned, vintage, upcycling, sustainable shopping, thrifting, which is my favorite. If you’ve got teenagers, Depop is their go-to. Show of hands, how many have bought something pre-owned in the past year?

Alexis Hoopes: In the past year? (Audience raises hands.)

Shannon Flanagan: How many sold something? The stats don’t reflect reality here. In 2020, the U.S. market was about $140 billion; it’s now reached $200 billion in a short time. Eighty-four percent have bought secondhand, sixty-seven percent have sold, and seventy-six percent is non-apparel. The global fashion market is expected to increase 127% by 2026. So, let’s pick your brain about all these changes.

Alexis Hoopes: What do we call it? At eBay, we call it “pre-loved.” It’s all about connection—giving items a second chance and a second life. We focus on things people love, so it all comes together around “pre-loved.” We use all the terms! As in Alaska, there are 30 ways to describe snow.

Shannon Flanagan: So, consumer attitudes are shifting. What do you think is driving this change, and how are you seeing it play out at eBay?

Alexis Hoopes: It’s a movement. It’s been discussed on retail stages for a while, but with these stats, it’s now critical mass. Several factors contribute—consumers, brands, and retailers all play a part. Doing good is increasingly important, especially given fashion’s challenges. But the biggest shift is younger customers embracing recommerce as a main way to shop and interact with brands. My daughter and my partner’s teens thrift almost every weekend. Reuse means constantly updating wardrobes without waste, and the value is unbeatable.

Shannon Flanagan: My most surprising discovery was the price of nineties jeans my teenagers buy.

Alexis Hoopes: Insane, right? Nineties trends, boots—vintage terms—all show exponential growth in eBay searches now.

Shannon Flanagan: What do fashion shoppers expect from pre-loved fashion experiences?

Alexis Hoopes: There are two main factors for us. As a large marketplace, our focus is reinventing the future of commerce—especially with brands, it’s about creating a trusted customer experience. We invest heavily in building trust using AI technology and physical authentication; we authenticate over 10 million items in dedicated centers. Both buyer and seller need to trust the product is what they expect, so our authentication is both physical and digital—this “white glove” service is essential.

Shannon Flanagan: Assortment is key. How do you do assortment planning at eBay, given the inventory comes from sellers?

Alexis Hoopes: It’s a big shift from Nordstrom, where inventory was controlled. Here, inventory is highly unstructured, coming from individual sellers. AI is critical for managing and planning selection. We launched Magical Listing to simplify listing from images and generate useful backend data—making selling easy and improving the shopping experience.

Shannon Flanagan: Is there seasonality in selling patterns, similar to inventory cycles?

Alexis Hoopes: Buyers’ cycles match standard retail; sellers’ cycles differ. Seasonal closet clean-outs drive inventory, and we help source trending items. The marketplace model has different dynamics.

Shannon Flanagan: Let’s talk market trends and regulation. As a RealReal consultant, the depth of regulation surprised me: Environmental Product Declarations, Extended Producer Responsibility—California passed that law last October. Can you go deeper on EPDs and what they mean for brands and platforms?

Alexis Hoopes: Regulation is growing—responsible production is demanded by consumers and regulatory bodies. Europe requires digital product passports on garments, which fosters transparency and creates opportunities for brands to connect with secondary-market customers and add services. It also provides authenticity trust signals. CertaLogo uses AI for authentication and services in both primary and secondary markets. This is an area ripe for change and innovation.

Shannon Flanagan: Packaging for luxury items is a big part of waste but shapes the customer experience. How do brands handle that in recommerce?

Alexis Hoopes: Packaging matters—a luxury box can define the experience. Recommerce allows brands to connect with new customers in the secondary market and opens up new channels. Whether it’s an aspirational buyer or a collector, the experience and value are maintained.

Shannon Flanagan: Supply chain disruptions and tariffs are real. What will be their impact on secondary markets?

Alexis Hoopes: There’s a lot of unknowns. The beauty of the secondary marketplace is its responsiveness to supply and demand. We focus on connecting buyers to sellers transparently and friction-free. That’s key to our success.

Shannon Flanagan: Let’s talk about community commerce. eBay has a history of fostering buyer and seller trust. What role does community play?

Alexis Hoopes: Community is at eBay’s heart. Retail has always centered around community—Main Street, malls. E-commerce lost some of that, but we’re reinventing it in the online world. Events like “From the Archives” highlight sellers and stories, with auctions for charity. eBay Live and Fashion Fridays create live selling experiences with direct buyer-seller dialogues that restore retail’s social foundation. We also support circular fashion with funds for small business innovators.

Shannon Flanagan: Can you name a company leading change in this space?

Alexis Hoopes: We’re still in the selection process, so more to come.

Shannon Flanagan: What strategies should brands pursue in recommerce?

Alexis Hoopes: Every brand and retailer should have a recommerce strategy—benefits include brand equity, marketing, customer acquisition, supply chain efficiency, and financial upsides. We partner with brands like Adidas and Zodiac watches, aligning recommerce with their goals. There are big opportunities on the horizon. The environment wins, too.

Shannon Flanagan: The luxury market CAGR is 14%—155%, depending on category. Even half right, it’s a huge number.

Alexis Hoopes: The numbers are impressive.

Shannon Flanagan: Let’s discuss AI in authentication and innovation.

Alexis Hoopes: AI removes friction and creates efficiency—Magical Listing for seller onboarding, CertaLogo for authentication, and Shop the Look for AI-generated outfit discovery. The future is conversational agents for browsing and discovery, especially valuable given our massive selection.

Shannon Flanagan: Final advice for retailers and brands?

Alexis Hoopes: Just start. Get into recommerce, try it, and see what works. It’s a growing space—brands need to be where the customer is.

Shannon Flanagan: Thank you! Moderating helps me explore deeply—this topic is a personal favorite. Thank you, everyone!