To OfferUp’s nationwide community of millions and buyers and sellers - Happy New Year!
When I joined OfferUp last year as its new CEO, I told the company’s leaders and board of directors that my primary goal was to deliver on a vision that matches the company’s promise to its community.
My goal is to strengthen the product and experience to give people the ability to connect and prosper. We’ve done many things right, but there’s room for improvement. There’s never been a more important time to perfect our experience and do more to enrich our community’s lives.
Here are the facts:
As we enter 2022, we’re in a world where one in five Americans uses OfferUp every year. That means OfferUp is a staple in many families' daily purchasing decisions, and we take this opportunity and responsibility very seriously.
As we enter another year in a pandemic, the traditional global retail industry has been thoroughly disrupted by supply chain issues and economic dissonance, including inflation.
Research from our 2021 Recommerce Report showed that Americans have found resale to be frequently less expensive and better for the environment than traditional retail.
Data from 2021 Shopping and Buying Guide showed that 40% of secondhand shoppers plan to sell more on resale marketplaces in 2022, and 1 in 3 plan to shop resale more than they did in 2021.
To our most veteran buyers and sellers - thank you for making our community the successful marketplace it is today. And to the many millions of people that join us every month after downloading the app, welcome.
To everyone: our company’s mission for years has been to create the largest, simplest and most trustworthy marketplace. We are making a special commitment to improving the product experience this year to take your OfferUp experience to the next level.
The product goals for my team, and my promise to you is that we will:
1. Continue to invest and improve the safety and security of our marketplace
The safety and security of our community remains our number one priority and we will invest significant product, design and engineering resources to improve the overall experience of using our marketplace. We have zero tolerance for scams and crime on OfferUp and we will continue to do more to eliminate them.
2. Modernize our app functionality so buyers can find what they need more quickly, and at great prices
Delivering a great shopping experience that is enjoyable and helpful to our buyers and sellers is critical to the OfferUp experience. We are investing in personalization tools and improved recommendation functionality to simplify your shopping experience.
3. Give buyers and sellers more reasons to try OfferUp for the first time, and return again and again
There are many online marketplaces out there, but only we are positioned to deliver the best of local recommerce for such a wide range of items and services. From cars and electronics to homewares, appliances, collectibles and more, you can find a great deal on something and pick it up the same day. We will make this easier and better with more app features and support programs to improve the reach for all buyers and sellers, with special support to businesses.
2022 will be an exciting year for those in the OfferUp community and we look forward to sharing more updates as we aim high to meet the goals that make OfferUp the platform of choice for local commerce.
Onwards and upwards,
Todd