Understanding the power of brands is key to unlocking growth and maximizing revenue in today’s e-commerce landscape. With the right data-driven insights, businesses can enhance visibility to their products listed online and drive sales by targeting the top-performing brands.
Upright Labs’ 2024 Brand Analysis Report offers invaluable information, covering $34.3M in online sales and revealing the most successful brands in secondhand e-commerce.
Additionally, our latest Master Class Unlock the Power of Brands offers a deeper dive into brand trends, categories, and actionable strategies your organization can take. By leveraging these insights, you can fine-tune your e-commerce strategy and stay ahead of the curve.
To give you a taste of the full 30-minute master class session, you can watch a 10-minute preview below to start exploring key strategies for utilizing brand data in your business.
The Impact of Brand Value and Awareness
Brand recognition has a significant impact on driving buyer trust and demand in the resale market. When consumers are familiar with a brand, they are more likely to trust its quality and value, directly influencing their purchasing decisions and fostering long-term loyalty. As a result, buyers are more inclined to purchase secondhand items from recognizable brands rather than unknown ones.
Premium brands, in particular, hold their value well in used conditions. In fact, some designer brands, such as luxury handbags or high-end watches, may even appreciate in value over time, further increasing their desirability on the resale market.
It’s essential for e-commerce listings to feature their well-known brand names and keywords in the title to attract buyers and improve search visibility/SEO impact. This helps listings rank higher in search results and attract more potential buyers. For example, in our Master Class Unlock the Power of Brands, Josh Duplisea explained that adding “Disney” to a Star Wars toy listing boosts its visibility since Disney is a widely recognized brand.
Another thing to consider is the opportunity to use authentication software for your high-end and luxury brands. This provides added trust to buyers, increases your product’s value, and safeguards your business legally from counterfeits.
Deep Dive into Brand Performance: Key Trends and Insights
Brand Analysis
The 2024 Brand Analysis Report offers many insights into how top-performing brands shape the secondhand e-commerce market. Let’s explore some of the trends driving success across various categories.
Amazon
Amazon remains a dominant force in the market, with notable growth in categories like Kindles, tablets, and home appliances. Among the top 20 brands, Amazon saw the largest growth in volume and revenue across these product types. This highlights the ongoing demand for Amazon-branded products in the resale market, making it a key player for sellers to watch.
Tech and Gaming
Apple, Microsoft, and Nintendo continued to show strong performance throughout 2024 and were significant in driving sales for tech and gaming. Nintendo was the top seller by volume, claiming the #1 spot, while Apple led the pack in total revenue and average price-per-item (PPI). Microsoft also secured a place in the top 10 in all areas, showcasing the resilience of the tech and gaming markets.
Apparel Growth
Adidas, Nike, and Ralph Lauren see consistent growth, making regular appearances on the top 20 list for total items sold, total revenue, and average PPI. These apparel brands have a reputation for longevity in resale, as their products maintain value over time and are highly sought after in the secondhand market.
Luxury Brands
Coach, Kate Spade, and Michael Kors stand out for their ability to maintain high PPI metrics while experiencing steady sales volume. Coach’s PPI remained consistently between $26 and $30, while Kate Spade and Michael Kors hovered between $20 and $23, solidifying these brands as staples in the resale market. These luxury names rarely depreciate greatly, making them valuable assets for any seller’s inventory.
Pop Culture Influences
Disney
Disney’s acquisitions of Lucasfilm in 2012 and Marvel in 2009 have solidified its dominance in both entertainment and merchandise. Iconic franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones fuel strong demand for branded items, making “Disney” an essential keyword in product listings to enhance your SEO strategies for boosting visibility and sales across multiple categories.
LEGO
LEGO remains a high-demand brand, supported by its partnerships with major franchises like Star Wars, Disney, and Harry Potter. With consistent sales volume, focusing on retired sets, exclusive collaborations, and bulk lots allows sellers to capitalize on LEGO’s strong resale value in both collectible and everyday markets.
UGG
UGG has surged in popularity through celebrity endorsements and Gen Z trends. Influencer Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber have fueled the comeback of UGG’s Ultra Mini Boots, driving its popularity in the secondhand market.
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson’s nostalgia-driven appeal has made vintage items highly sought after for younger shoppers influenced by ’90s fashion. With the brand’s oversized t-shirt trend on TikTok, it turned once niche items into high-demand resale products.
Stay ahead of the trends by exploring the full insights in the 2024 Brand Analysis Report. Download it today to strengthen your understanding of brand performance and its impact on your e-commerce strategy.
Category Deep-Dive: Brands That Dominate
Understanding category-specific brand performance is important for optimizing listings and pricing strategies.
Computers & Electronics
Strong brand loyalty and significant price gaps exist between top-tier brands and off-brands. Here are the specific brands dominating the computer and electronics market:
- Apple: Computers, phones, tablets, and accessories
- Bose: Speakers, headphones, and audio equipment
- Hewlett Packard: Laptops, printers, and calculators
- Microsoft: Gaming systems and computer accessories
- Nintendo: Gaming systems, games, and collectibles
- Sony: Gaming systems, cameras, sound systems, and TVs
Collectibles
Brand popularity and partnerships play a critical role in the collectibles category, with value fluctuating significantly based on demand, rarity, and trends:
- Barbie: Dolls, figurines, and branded toys
- Disney: Toys, games, and media tied to their IPs
- LEGO: Collectible branded sets (Harry Potter, Marvel, Star Wars) and bulk lots
- Pokémon: Trading cards, video games, and figurines
- Star Wars: Figurines, video games, and LEGO sets
Clothing & Accessories
Major brands typically span multiple fashion categories:
- Carhartt: Performs well in bulk and lots as customers are willing to buy multiple items in this brand
- Coach: Purses and bags dominate, also eyewear, wallets, and belts
- Kate Spade: Purses and bags, accessories, jewelry, shoes, and luggage
- Nike: Primarily shoes, plus athletic wear, hats, and sports gear
- Michael Kors: Clothing, jewelry, purses, and shoes
Cameras & Photography
Canon leads the photography category in both revenue and units sold, while Nikon has a higher PPI.
This suggests Nikon targets a more premium segment, whereas Canon balances volume and pricing to dominate overall sales.
Sony finalizes the top three with broader product offerings overall and continues to be a competitive force.
Discover more brand performance analytics with our comprehensive Top Brands Guide, gathering and analyzing data from $34.3M in online sales.
Best Practices for E-Commerce Success
Now that you’ve gained a better understanding on the power of brands, take your strategy to the next level with these six best practices:
- 1. Research trending brands and best-selling categories using market data to identify high-demand products.
- 2. Prioritize luxury, streetwear, and limited-edition items with strong resale value.
- 3. Clearly communicate brand preferences to suppliers to ensure quality product flow.
- 4. Upright users can utilize builder templates for consistent listings and optimize descriptions with relevant keywords.
- 5. Showcase brand authenticity with high-quality images.
- 6. Evaluate pricing strategies based on brand value, adjusting dynamically based on market fluctuations and demand.
To learn how to effectively implement these strategies and best practices in your e-commerce operations, be sure to watch our master class Unlock the Power of Brands recording for expert insights and actionable tips.
Final Thoughts
Brands are a powerful driver of success in the e-commerce world, and leveraging data-driven insights can help you boost your organization’s performance and revenue. By understanding brand performance and implementing best practices, you can optimize your listings, pricing strategies, and supplier relationships for maximum growth.
To examine the data further, download the 2024 Brand Analysis Report and watch the Master Class recording Unlock the Power of Brands to uncover the full potential of your e-commerce strategy.
Contact Upright Labs today for expert guidance, consulting services, and to answer any questions you may have to strengthen your business.