Re-engage your customers instead of slashing prices. What if take-back became your best way to move inventory?

In 2024, fashion brands are facing a paradox: they struggle to sell their collections in-season, while being forced to plan their next productions earlier than ever.
The result: inventory piles up, actual sell-through rates fall short of targets, and margin pressure is constant.

But some brands have realized that price isn’t the only sales lever.They’re activating an unexpected one: their former customers.

Thanks to the take-back service offered by Faume, they turn already-equipped clients into new buyers. Not by discounting, but by adding value.

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A simple truth: unsold stock comes from purchase barriers, not lack of interest

Consumers aren’t indifferent to collections.
What holds them back is often:

-A full wardrobe,

-A lack of emotional justification for a new purchase,

-And a sense of “accumulation guilt.”

Offering a smart take-back service directly addresses all three objections.
By inviting customers to resell their previous items in exchange for a voucher, the brand creates mental, physical and financial space for a new, first-hand purchase.

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Take-back as a trigger for immediate purchase

Here’s how the Faume model works:

-The customer resells one or more items from the brand (worn but in good condition).

-They receive a voucher valid on the new collection, with a limited validity period.

-They are redirected to the e-shop, where they can apply their voucher and complete their new purchase.

This system is integrated into the brand’s ecosystem and fully managed by Faume (logistics, customer service, quality control, second-hand resale, etc.).

The result: take-back becomes a direct activation lever for the new collection.

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Tangible effects on new collection sell-through

Brands already using this lever are seeing a virtuous dynamic:

-80% use their voucher after a take-back, and 95% use it the same day for in-store take-backs.

-90% use their voucher on the new collection. The average gross margin on the second-hand program is 30–50%, higher than discounted or markdown sales.

-Average upsell of 65% on the voucher amount.

-The in-season sell-through rate of certain SKUs increases significantly, without any price reductions.

It’s a double win:

-No promotion needed to trigger the sale.

-Smoother sell-through of the current collection.

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A responsible… and profitable alternative to traditional levers

Unlike discounts or private sales, the voucher issued in a take-back program does not devalue the collection. It is:

-Seen as a reward, not a markdown.

-Justified by a conscious action (reselling a previous item).

-And meaningful, aligned with circular consumption.

On top of that, the process is pressure-free for internal teams: Faume handles everything from voucher issuance to product reconditioning.

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Conclusion: better sales without markdowns are possible through take-back

The best anti-overstock strategy isn’t to slash prices on what didn’t sell.
It’s to sell more of what’s already available, by creating purchase triggers that match today’s expectations.

The take-back service offered by Faume is exactly that:

-A demand activation tool,

-An emotional reassurance lever,

-And a sell-through accelerator without value loss.

In a saturated market, circularity is no longer an ESG option.It’s a competitive edge.