Easier Secondhand Shopping

With roughly 4.5 million pre-worn clothing items in its inventory, the online shop ThredUp is employing AI to help customers take the guesswork out of secondhand shopping. Users can now input ultra-specific keywords and phrases to find clothing items (for example, “fall wedding Philadelphia” generated a gray wrap dress, red sweater, and chunky scarf) or upload images to find close matches. ThredUp reports a 38% year-over-year increase in the number of searches per session since the tool’s August launch. “Our mission is to get people to shop more sustainably, and this tool makes it easier for people who may not be inclined to buy secondhand,” says ThredUp co-founder and CEO James Reinhart.