As brands look to capitalize on the growing recommerce market, they quickly realize that building an effective resale program is far from a one-department effort. Success hinges on cross-functional collaboration, with teams across operations, digital merchandising, marketing, sustainability and leadership playing vital roles.

What sets successful programs apart is strong internal alignment – clear roles, defined responsibilities, and seamless execution. In this guide, we’ll explore how to engage your core teams and foster the collaboration needed to maximize impact. Let’s dive in!

1. Build Your Core ReCommerce Team

At Trove, we often see eCommerce or digital merchandising teams leading the daily management of recommerce programs, from setting pricing strategies to curating product assortments. These teams manage the resale experience, aligning it with the brand’s values, and promoting it as an accessible, sustainable option.

Here’s a few of the skill sets you’ll want to build into your recommerce team: 

• Recommerce Merchandiser: Selects and prices items for resale, ensuring they align with brand standards and support sustainability goals.
• Digital Marketer: Crafts campaigns that promote the benefits of resale, positioning it as a core component of the brand’s mission.
• eCommerce Analyst: Tracks resale performance and customer insights, tying results back to the brand’s sustainability objectives.

With these roles in place, your recommerce team will be equipped to deliver a well-executed resale program that balances efficiency, sustainability, and a compelling customer experience. This ensures that recommerce isn’t just an add-on but an integral part of your growth strategy.

2. Partner with Operations to Ensure Seamless Logistics

For a recommerce program to thrive, close collaboration with Operations is essential. Operations manages the backend logistics, from intake to restocking, complementing the eCommerce team’s customer-facing efforts. By handling the complex workflows of resale logistics, the Operations team allows eCommerce to focus on strategy and customer engagement without being bogged down by day-to-day processes.

This partnership allows for resale items to move quickly through the system, maintaining inventory accuracy and allowing customers to access a consistent assortment of high-quality, pre-owned products. When Operations and eCommerce are aligned, it results in a cohesive recommerce experience for customers.

Tech Tip: Platforms like Trove automate inventory updates, route items to appropriate sales channels, and maintain compliance with industry standards, making it easier for eCommerce and Operations to streamline workflows and scale recommerce effectively.

3. Drive Awareness and Engagement with Marketing and Brand Strategy

To differentiate a recommerce program, it needs to become part of the brand’s story. Marketing teams shape this narrative, educating customers on the sustainability and value aspects of recommerce and make it emotionally resonant. 

Marketing teams also play a crucial role in driving both seller and buyer participation. Close collaboration between marketing and ecommerce teams on the following areas is key: 

• Bring data into messaging: Highlight sustainability metrics and the environmental impact of resale, building trust with eco-conscious customers.  
• Personalize campaigns: Develop targeted campaigns that emphasize the benefits of buying and selling pre-owned items, personalizing insights with customer data.
• Incorporate recommerce messaging into the main site: Consider adding a navigation component with links to used items and trade-in programs. 
• Drive cross-channel awareness: Incorporate recommerce messaging into email campaigns, social media and other outbound channels to create broader reach. 
• Simplify seller recruitment: Create step-by-step guides, FAQs, and loyalty incentives that make joining the program easy and rewarding.

4. Align with Leadership on the Strategic Vision 

For a recommerce program to thrive, buy-in from senior leadership is essential. Executives provide the green light for investment and make sure that recommerce aligns with broader business objectives. Their support is critical for scaling the program and dedicating necessary resources to sustain it over time.

• Align on vision: Recommerce teams can help leadership see how resale drives broader goals like revenue growth, customer loyalty, and sustainability. 
• Secure resources: By presenting clear ROI models and operational needs, recommerce teams can collaborate with leadership to gain approval for budgets, staffing, and technology investments.  
• Track and report metrics: Leadership relies on recommerce teams to deliver performance data, such as revenue impact, customer engagement, and environmental benefits, ensuring accountability and continued program support.

When partnership with the leadership team is strong, recommerce is not only prioritized but also positioned as a core component of company growth goals.

5. Integrate the Right Technology 

One of the most significant barriers to recommerce success is the complexity of coordinating across multiple teams. By backing resale programs with the right technology platform, brands can automate manual tasks, get real-time inventory visibility, and adhere to  industry regulations.

Trove Recommerce WMS is a powerful tool that can automate many of the complexities associated with resale, from single SKU inventory management to customer tracking. By investing in a tech-enabled solution, brands can scale their recommerce programs while keeping processes streamlined.

Building Cross-Functional Consensus 

Launching a recommerce program is a cross-functional endeavor that requires alignment across almost every team. By establishing clear ownership, setting up a core recommerce team, and leveraging technology to support it, brands can create a resale experience that not only meets customer expectations but also drives real business goals. 

Ready to start building your recommerce strategy? Schedule a demo with Trove to see how our solution can simplify your processes and support your cross-functional teams.