{"id":72248,"date":"2023-11-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=72248"},"modified":"2024-09-16T14:53:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T21:53:11","slug":"goodwill-finds-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/goodwill-finds-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Resale Reshaped: How Salesforce Helped Goodwill Navigate a Shift to Digital Commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Quick take:<\/em><\/strong> An iconic thrifting and resale brand is standing up its new model for secondhand shopping with an online marketplace \u2013 harnessing the power of Salesforce technology to create personalized, user-friendly shopper experiences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nonprofit Goodwill<\/a> has spent over a century cultivating its unique retail experience. Shoppers wandering the aisles at any of Goodwill\u2019s over 3,000 stores can stumble upon affordable and memorable resale items while at the same time doing something good for their community, just by shopping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, thrift stores can miss reaching a large percentage of their audience if they rely on in-store traffic alone. That\u2019s why recommerce \u2014 selling previously owned goods through online marketplaces \u2014 is a must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just the past year<\/a>, 85% of shoppers in the United States bought or sold previously owned items, and recommerce sales are projected to reach $276 billion by 2028 \u2014 a 58% increase from 2002. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By developing a new online footprint, Goodwill also realized it could tap into the massive growing audience of shoppers looking for deals online. And, with inflation high, they knew their affordable product catalog would be attractive to online shoppers, especially during the holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data from Rob Garf, Salesforce\u2019s VP and GM of Retail, backs this up. \u201cShoppers, particularly younger generations, are looking for value. We predict<\/a> that 17% of this year\u2019s holiday gifts \u2014 both online and offline \u2014 will be from resale merchandise,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing Goodwill to shoppers online<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just over a year ago, the founders of GoodwillFinds<\/a> launched their first foray into the branded, fixed-priced, recommerce market after nearly a year of ground-up development in partnership with Salesforce. The online marketplace has already sold half a million items since October 2022, and is expanding rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Built on Commerce Cloud<\/a>, GoodwillFinds.com gives consumers a modern, easy-to-use digital interface where they can shop a curated catalog of unique finds from Goodwill locations across the country. The platform launched with four local Goodwill affiliates, and intends to expand this online catalog to feature goods from 40 locations by next year, and eventually with all 154 affiliates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was a big change for Goodwill. \u201cWe weren\u2019t able to sell directly to consumers through a fixed, unified catalog before this,\u201d said Matt Kaness, CEO of GoodwillFinds. \u201cThis venture has amplified our brand story in the market and engaged a younger generation by meeting them where they are already shopping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This venture has amplified our brand story in the market and engaged a younger generation by meeting them where they are already shopping.<\/p>\nMatt Kaness, CEO, GoodwillFinds<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

GoodwillFinds augments the in-store experience with a modern, online thrifting experience, including detailed filtering where users can sort by brand, condition of the item, and even themes such as \u201870s Retro\u2019 or \u2018Vintage.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe worked with GoodwillFinds to make it really easy for customers to browse based on things like brand or color in a way that is hard to do when shopping in person, so it creates an experience that’s unique and delightful,\u201d said Michael Affronti, GM and SVP of Commerce Cloud at Salesforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n