Big Data Analysis of the Second-Hand Apparel Market Trends Comparing 2014 and 2019

Abstract

The second-hand apparel market has grown rapidly in the past few years by meeting consumers’ increasing concerns about sustainability. In order to understand what changes in consumers’ perception and consumption patterns of second-hand apparel have driven this growth, a comparison of market trends a few years ago and the present day would be useful. Based on evolutionary economics theory, the purpose of this study is to examine how the second-hand apparel market trends have changed in the past five years by comparing data from 2014 to that of 2019 using a big data analysis. The results of text mining and network analyses reveal that consumers motives, major product types, and distribution channels of the second-hand apparel market have clearly changed from 2014 to 2019.