The Christmas campaign continues to be marked by uncertainty and anticipation as a result of the crisis that is ravaging the global supply chain after the stoppage caused by COVID-19.

The KPMG consultancy analyzed the current scenario in its report The perfect storm of consumption. The study addressed how contained demand had emerged with production at half throttle and trying to recover after the impact of the pandemic.

The logistical problem, which is expected to be circumstantial, lies in the fact that production is concentrated in a few markets and this translates into very little ability to react to any disruption.

Enrique Porta, an expert in consumption and distribution at KPMG, explains to Business Insider Spain that the retail sector is used to working with very cost-efficient supply chains, but that, in return, they assume long supply and transport cycles , mostly maritime.

All this has materialized in the shortage of certain products, delays in shipments and in an escalation in prices due to the increase in the cost of raw materials and energy prices.

Faced with this problem, the consumer seems to have found a revulsion: second-hand purchases that, if they had already been showing their strength, now shine more than ever.

"This crisis is going to be with us for a while and second-hand is presented as a great alternative, especially in technology," Milanuncios explained to Business Insider Spain.

The platform maintains that this is the "definitive opportunity" to finally convince itself of the value of second hand: "It does not require new manufacturing and brings benefits for consumers at an individual level and for society at an environmental level."

Second-hand: the commercial model that is here to stay

Second-hand commerce is already being postulated as the great change in consumption. It does not seem like a peremptory or merely circumstantial fashion, its figures continue to strengthen its business model.

In fact, 1 in 3 Spaniards already buy more second-hand products than before the pandemic, according to a study by La Red del Cambio.

The forecast for the future made by the consulting firm McKinsey in its report The circular economy is even greater: the study estimates that the circular economy could bring profits of 1.8 trillion euros in 2030.

An unstoppable progress confirmed by 2 of the major players in the sector: Wallapop and Milanuncios.

The Catalan platform Wallapop, with a community of 15 million users, has achieved that, since 2013, more than 180 million articles have found a second chance, according to the company explained to Business Insider Spain.

Its business model grows at the same rate as its turnover: in 2020, the company achieved revenue growth of more than 50% and, only in the first half of 2021, its turnover had risen by 80% in compared to a year ago.

For its part, Milanuncios, belonging to the Adevinta company and which brings together portals such as Fotocasa or infoJobs, is one of the oldest websites in the second-hand market. It was born in 2005 and has more than 23 million users.

Its traffic, since then, has not stopped. "We receive nearly 3 million visits every day from people seeking to give products a second life and some 65,000 new ads are published daily on our app and website," the digital company details.

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Technology and men's fashion: the star products

Wallapop explain that, usually, the most searched categories on these dates have always been Fashion and Accessories, Cinema, Books and Music, but the current context has aroused a new interest among users.

The complicated logistical drift, they maintain, has caused searches for 2 specific product categories to stand out: Mobile telephony and Consoles and video games. Only during the month of October, more than 2 million searches were registered, respectively and in each division.

From Milanuncios they also agree on the high demand for technological products: "We detected an important peak in September, which was the moment in which the media began to echo the shortage."

However, the most curious thing was that, despite the increase in second-hand demand, the supply managed to remain stable, contrary to what happened with new technological products.

So much so that this boom was surfacing as the annual growth forecast for smartphone shipments fell from 9% to 6% due to semiconductor shortages, according to Counterpoint Research.

"Right now you can open any app, find a technological product, buy it and in a matter of days receive it at home", they maintain from Milanuncios.

In addition, this rise does not seem to be passing: according to estimates made by Wallapop, 2 out of 10 Spaniards plan to spend more on second-hand technology than new in the next 5 years.

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Technology has been postulated as the star section but it is not the only one. Milanuncios also points to fashion and, especially, to that aimed at men, the division that has registered the most searches.

Since September, they explain, demand for both menswear and womenswear has been growing steadily. It has done about 20% monthly.

The greatest peak in searches was recorded in November, when they grew 43.1% in men's fashion and 48% in women's fashion, compared to a month earlier, according to the internal analysis of the web.

COVID-19 accelerated a boom that is now consolidating

A sample of the extent to which this business model is consolidated is that, for Wallapop, the golden quarter or the best quarter of the year —known as such for its importance in retailer accounts— traditionally represents a great peak of activity .

Without going any further, in 2020, and only during Black Friday, shipments grew by 240%, while the app registered 17 million visitors in November.

But beyond the usual times of consumption, 2020 and therefore, the irruption of the pandemic, have meant the total consolidation of the business model and this has occurred, in part, because it has found the best travel companion: online trade.

"The situation derived from COVID-19 has been responsible in the last year and a half for a great digital transformation and the accelerated adoption of electronic commerce by Spanish society", they maintain from the startup.

A boost, that of the online channel, which is also attested to by a report by the consulting firm McKinsey that maintains that e-commerce in Spain has multiplied almost 5-fold during the epidemic, above the evolution in the United States or in the cradle of digital shopping: China.

In addition, the outbreak of COVID-19 has also shaped a new user who advocates more responsible consumption. "66% of Spaniards assess whether they need something before buying it," according to the study by La Red del Cambio.

This trend towards containment is, contrary to what it may seem, the best push for second-hand sales.

"The data encourages us to be optimistic and anticipate that second-hand will continue to consolidate as a preferred form of consumption in our country, not only because of the economic opportunities it offers, but also as a more conscious, humane and respectful way of consuming with the planet", they maintain from Wallapop.

Milanuncios also share a vision: "The population is increasingly aware of the benefits of second-hand, more sustainable purchasing models and the importance of preserving the environment."

The web is clear that the best is yet to come: "This way of buying is here to stay. Second-hand will establish itself as a new way of understanding consumption."