Abstract:
Online shopping became the main type of shopping in 2020, due to the restrictions
posed by authorities to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Students, who already were digitally
literate, easily made full use of the digital platforms for shopping a variety of items, among which
clothing. The study focuses on student shopping for a special category of products, second-hand
garments, aiming to identify the motivations that animate such purchase in the student population.
Also, the study aims to highlight which of the digital channels are used for such purchases. The
research is based on a survey, self-administered by the respondents. Results show that students
participating in the study display a complex set of motivations for secondhand products
purchasing, such as economic reasons, fashion-related judgement, leisure, and ecological
reasoning. While feeling ‘at home’ in the digital world, if given the choice, students prefer social
media over websites, and Instagram over Facebook. Findings are useful for understanding
student’s behavior and motivations in the time of crisis, but also to anticipate the trend in ecommerce, since given the chance, many (small) businesses will need to be creative in promoting
their products and/or services.
