“We wanted to see what sellers can do to dampen risk perceptions and increase perceptions of finding hidden treasure,” Bolton said. These perceptions work against each other, meaning that risk - such as concerns about product quality or wasted time and effort - decreases purchase likelihood while hidden treasure perceptions increase purchase likelihood, according to the researchers.

“We found that disorder in these markets increases consumer perceptions of risk but also the possibility of finding hidden treasure.” “Secondhand markets are growing in popularity, especially among younger people,” said Lisa Bolton, professor of marketing and Anchel Professor of Business Administration at Penn State. New research from Penn State and Texas Christian University shows that shoppers looking to “pop some tags” may be drawn to disordered thrift shop displays because they signal hidden treasure in their inventory. One person’s trash may well be another’s “come up,” or what the rapper Macklemore calls hidden treasures in the song “Thrift Shop,” but only if secondhand shoppers follow the rapper’s lead and dig through what are sometimes messy bins. Secondhand retailers can decrease risk perceptions and increase perceptions of hidden treasure and purchase likelihood by demonstrating high inventory knowledge through their ability to answer customer questions and share the backstories of items, according to researchers. Image: Shoppers looking to “pop some tags” may be drawn to disordered thrift shop displays because they signal hidden treasure in their inventory.

Hidden Treasures by Marshall Thornton