21 min listen
'We didn't expect the consumer response to be as great': GoodwillFinds CEO Matthew Kaness on bringing the thrifting experience online
'We didn't expect the consumer response to be as great': GoodwillFinds CEO Matthew Kaness on bringing the thrifting experience online
ratings:
Length:
42 minutes
Released:
Dec 15, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
GoodwillFinds is trying to bring the century-old Goodwill network to the era of ThredUp.
The new e-commerce platform has only been live since October, but has already seen pretty steady growth. When it first hit the market, GoodwillFinds offered 100,000 items for sale from four different Goodwill locations around the country. Now, that number is approaching 200,000 items. CEO Matthew Kanness said the organization plans to have a catalog of over 1 million products for sale by the end of the year. GoodwillFinds is in the process of onboarding four more locations -- and Kanness said dozens of other locations are in the pipeline to be added in 2023.
Kanness joined the Modern Retail Podcast to talk about the growing program. While most anyone in the U.S. knows about Goodwill, the organization has never had a centralized online presence. The idea with GoodwillFinds is to try and do just that -- as well as compete with other digital resale leaders like Thredup and the RealReal.
While the platform has only been around for a few months, Kanness said that the struggle hasn't been finding customers, but instead making sure the program can run smoothly while scaling. "We didn't expect the consumer response to be as great," he said. "So we are chasing some of the operations -- staffing up customer service, and adding more staff at pick, pack and ship [sections] within the various Goodwills."
The business is also trying to figure out what sells best on the online platform. While apparel has been one of Goodwill's most popular categories, Kanness said GoodwillFinds has seen "such a strong demand for non-clothing." In fact, apparel currently only accounts for one-quarter of the platform's sales.
The platform is still constantly being upgraded, with more products and features being added everyday. But the hope is to create the Goodwill experience online. That being said, Kanness was clear that the well-known treasure-hunt Goodwill experience can't be mimicked by an online app. "What we're trying to do is augment and expand and enhance the experience," he said.
The new e-commerce platform has only been live since October, but has already seen pretty steady growth. When it first hit the market, GoodwillFinds offered 100,000 items for sale from four different Goodwill locations around the country. Now, that number is approaching 200,000 items. CEO Matthew Kanness said the organization plans to have a catalog of over 1 million products for sale by the end of the year. GoodwillFinds is in the process of onboarding four more locations -- and Kanness said dozens of other locations are in the pipeline to be added in 2023.
Kanness joined the Modern Retail Podcast to talk about the growing program. While most anyone in the U.S. knows about Goodwill, the organization has never had a centralized online presence. The idea with GoodwillFinds is to try and do just that -- as well as compete with other digital resale leaders like Thredup and the RealReal.
While the platform has only been around for a few months, Kanness said that the struggle hasn't been finding customers, but instead making sure the program can run smoothly while scaling. "We didn't expect the consumer response to be as great," he said. "So we are chasing some of the operations -- staffing up customer service, and adding more staff at pick, pack and ship [sections] within the various Goodwills."
The business is also trying to figure out what sells best on the online platform. While apparel has been one of Goodwill's most popular categories, Kanness said GoodwillFinds has seen "such a strong demand for non-clothing." In fact, apparel currently only accounts for one-quarter of the platform's sales.
The platform is still constantly being upgraded, with more products and features being added everyday. But the hope is to create the Goodwill experience online. That being said, Kanness was clear that the well-known treasure-hunt Goodwill experience can't be mimicked by an online app. "What we're trying to do is augment and expand and enhance the experience," he said.
Released:
Dec 15, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
'There weren’t people talking about the things I wanted to say': Ogilvy Noor's Shelina Janmohamed on changing narratives: Shelina Janmohamed is the vp at ad agency Ogilvy Noor, Ogilvy's Islamic consultancy, where she teaches brands how to sell to the Muslim customer. This aligns seamlessly with her personal brand as the author of "Love in a Headscarf," a book that began... by The Modern Retail Podcast