For MAR 4233

1. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
& Its Use of Social Media
I. Introduction
Depop is a peer-to-peer shopping platform founded in 2011 in Milan, Italy with current
roots in London, England. It is a mixture of an online store and social network platform that gives
users the ability to sell a variety of secondhand clothes, shoes, and accessories, while also allowing
them to connect with each other through their love of fashion. Their brand is synonymous with
creativity, uniqueness, and originality due to their push on original fashion, vintage products, and
online thrifting culture. With over 16 million users and app expansion into over 147 countries
throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States, Depop has become one of the most successful
social shopping platforms today (Haley, 2019).
Depop’s social shopping platform has come to be known as a mix of eBay and Instagram
(Lorenz, 2019). Their business model of direct-to-consumer has sellers interacting with and selling
to customers which mimics eBay, meanwhile the design of the app is artsy and aesthetically
pleasing, drawing from Instagram. One aspect of their business model that has made them
incredibly popular is the low barrier of entry, where anyone can set up a profile and start posting
pictures of items that they want to sell. Another successful aspect of their business model has to
do with popularity and clout. This has drawn many social media influencers who were already
famous on Instagram or Youtube to the platform through the realization that they can further

2. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
their monetary value by selling their secondhand items to fans. Furthermore, since Depop’s app is
similar to Instagram in terms of operation and social guidelines, it makes it easy for influencers to
feel comfortable within the app. The search for popularity and clout, as well as monetary value,
also works vice versa for individuals who want to become famous on social media and have
successfully done so through their active use on Depop. This is because Depop functions as a social
network platform, which has led to the formation of a globally recognized, fashion-forward
community. Their profile pages function as “mini digital storefronts” with pictures of items being
viewed in a feed where followers can interact with the sellers by liking and commenting on the
posts (Lorenz, 2019). The more quality items you post on Depop, the more interactions you get
and the more you have a chance of being ‘featured’ which leads to clout, followers, and money.
Alongside this, there is an “Explore” page that features top sellers and trendy items that are often
catered to your personal style that you indicate when joining the app. These kind of functions
within the Depop app fosters a social environment similar to those in networking platforms,
soliciting the desire for clout and fostering this aspect of their business model.
Because most items sold on Depop are thrifted fashion – with many items being exclusive
designer brands – it falls within the fashion industry. What makes it mix well with this industry is
the focus on innovative fashion trends, keeping Depop relevant and ahead of the game in terms
of Instagram fashion culture and couture. Despite being consumer-led, Depop’s unique approach
on secondhand fashion has added an interesting twist to online shopping, brought together a
community of fashionable Gen-Zs, and managed to stay trendy and push the status-quo of thrifting
(Schneier 2019).

3. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
As a social shopping platform that has drawn much of its inspiration and popularity from
apps like Instagram, social media is very important to Depop. Many Instagram Influencers with
large following bases have trickled into Depop and, because of the similarities of the two apps,
began to use them simultaneously. This blend of Depop and Instagram has created a fashion-led
community that not only fosters relationships between influencers and their fans but brings
together those who love both trendy clothes and sustainability. As well, with their whole platform
functioning as an app with networking elements, popular social media platforms act as inspiration
for Depop, making this relationship very important.
II. Purpose and Use of Social Media
Having started in Italy, Depop rose to popularity in European fashion hubs like Milan and
London. In fact, this rise in popularity across Europe allowed Depop to raise over 8 million dollars
of revenue in 2015, leading Depop to hire of former general Marketing Manager of Reddit (Lunden
2015). Since then, Depop launched in the United States and has grown exponentially, with much
of their popularity being attributed to social media. With much of Depop’s strategic focus revolving
around building a community of fashion-forward influencers, their push on originality and being
‘different’ is something that appeals to younger Gen-Z audiences, which is where social media
comes in.
Aside from promotion through their own app, they have the strongest social media
presence on Instagram and Twitter. The primary purpose of these platforms is to feature their
products, interact with social media influencers, and promote brand awareness. It is almost used
as an alternative to their app, or moreso, a segway to get followers to download the app. As well,

4. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
it is a way to show their relatability through the posting of trendy fashion, memes relating to pop
culture, and virtually anything that displays uniqueness and creativity. This is all in attempt to
further their brand image and show avid awareness of the fashion and pop culture industry.
On all platforms, user-generated content is promoted heavily and one of the biggest ways
they get this content is by frequently collaborating with top sellers, social media influencers, music
artists, fashion designers, and more. These collaborations are often with individuals that are
known to have a unique style or push the status-quo of fashion. One recent example is their
partnership with popular R&B music artist, Doja Cat, shown in Figure 1. Her bold, colorful style is
a trademark for her own personal brand and associating this with Depop adds to their message
and overall image.
Similarly, Depop hosts Instagram takeovers or IGTV features of top sellers. During this, the
sellers show off their closets and popular items, tell about their background story, start on Depop,
Figure 1: Doja Cat & Depop Collaboration

5. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
how their shop has flourished, inspirations and other personal details. Not only does this
demonstrate personability and friendliness of the brand, but it also encourages sellers to keep
boosting their profiles so that they can end up on the leaderboard, earn more followers, and
possibly be featured on Depop.
Another element of this IGTV
Instagram Takeover is the face
filter that says “Depop” in black
across your face and gives you
fake freckles, shown in Figure 2.
They often use this filter during
these events to add extra brand
recognition and make the whole
encounter more fun, quirky, and
relatable.
Another social media tactic that builds brand awareness is their involvement on national
universities through the recruitment of campus ambassadors. This has led to student-run pop-up
shops, student fashion contests, and various hashtags that are broadcasted on social media,
shown in Figure 3. Their campus pop-up shops encourage product trials and allows consumers to
physically interact with the sellers and their items, adding a new element to their brand. Not to
mention, all items purchased online or at the pop-up shop are encouraged to be posted on social
Figure 2: IGTV Instagram Takeover & Depop Face Filter

6. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
media with a $1000 incentive promised to one student (per college) with the best Depop-inspired
outfit.
However, one of Depop’s biggest social media staples has to do with the wacky items that
they repost on all social media platforms, especially on Instagram. By using Instagram to display
unique items by various sellers, they act as a ‘mood board’ that inspires people to be wacky and
bold through fashion: one of their biggest brand messages. This focus on user-generated content
encourages word-of-mouth advertising, fosters their image of being quirky, and allows them to
casually interact with their followers. In Figure 4, a pair of cactus gloves are featured on the
Instagram and the comments had several Depop users laughing at how wacky it was, with some
asking “you can feature this but not my earrings?” in which Depop responded “what’s your @?”,
insinuating that her earrings were going to be featured.
Figure 3: Depop Campus Ambassador at Florida State University

7. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
This kind of post and response adds to the unique voice that Depop has on social media
and the somewhat-niche market that they appeal to. Their emphasis on wacky, alternative
clothing creates an uncharacteristically fun shopping platform. This can encourage both those with
bold style as well as the average person who is just interested in exploring and seeing what other
weird accessories are offered (which could lead to them finding something they would actually
wear). As well, seeing individuals that aren’t professional models wear vintage, secondhand
clothing in a fun and proud way encourages a unique way to shop. It empowers people to express
themselves through dress and normalizes odd clothing styles.
Twitter is used similarly to Instagram in the way that they retweet unique products sold
through Depop, as well as make commentary on other fashion trends, pop culture, and relevant
events. For example, they made several tweets about wacky outfits worn at the 2020 BRIT Awards.
Figure 4: Cactus Gloves

8. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
Specifically, they used both Lizzo and Harry Styles
as examples due to their popularity and activity in
the fashion industry (alongside music), shown in
Figure 5.
However, in contrast to the Depop Instagram and
Twitter, the Depop Facebook is notably less
active. This is most likely due to the lack of
aesthetically pleasing visuals on Facebook,
making it more difficult for them to display their
items and overall brand image. The post content
on this platform mirrors that of Instagram,
however with much less engagement. While the average Instagram post gets 5,000 likes, Facebook
posts only get 5-10 likes.
Overall, how Depop uses social media is very appropriate to their brand and seems to appeal to
their audience just as much, seeing as how they are continuing to gain traction as a business. Their
platforms, especially Instagram, are being used as a mix of product promotion and a mood board,
almost making it look like the average persons’ Instagram. Because most of their content is user-
generated, they foster their image of being relatable and community-based while also appealing
to their Gen-Z audience.
Figure 5: BRIT Awards 2020

9. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
III. Social Media Recommendations
Based on my assessments of Depop’s use of social media, I have decided on three
recommendations that could help the organization grow their online presence. The first
recommendation has to do with featuring or highlighting influencers who do not have a niche
fashion style. Since this has been such a success for the platform, it is advisable to continue these
features. However, appealing to individuals who may not like wacky fashion or want something
like “cactus gloves” could broaden their audience and draw in others who still want a reliable,
secondhand shopping platform. This could be done through an organized photoshoot or IGTV
Instagram Takeover to emphasize the shift to inclusivity of people who have other styles.
My second recommendation is to restructure the Facebook page to increase engagement
and interaction. Up until this point, Depop has been recycling the same content used on Instagram
and Twitter. However, because the platforms are so different in terms of aesthetics, visibility, and
function, it isn’t executed as well. A better recommendation would be to focus on the usability of
the Facebook platform and have it act as another direct way to contact with customers on
questions, concerns, and more. This could also lead to an official Facebook Group with Depop
Sellers and Users so that they can have another streamlined form of communication publicized.
This would add to their image of personability, friendliness, and ease of contact.
My third recommendation is a proposition to create an account on TikTok. Since much of
Depop’s target audience is Gen-Z, creating a TikTok would enhance relatability. As well, this would
work especially well for this brand because of their emphasis on fun, wacky items and occasional

10. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
sharing of memes. They could use TikTok as a way to showcase more items in a ‘fit pic’ style or
make general trendy TikToks to enhance their sense of community and interaction.
IV. Conclusion
In conclusion, Depop has managed to rise up as one of the most popular social shopping
platforms today. Their interesting mix of online store and social network platform has given a new
definition to trendy fashion, as well as created a new mindset about thrifting and secondhand
shopping to younger generations. Their style of posting wacky Depop outfits, pop culture memes,
90’s fashion throwbacks, and featuring top sellers has helped build the brand to be cool, relatable,
and relevant. Despite being a relatively new company, their use of social media has been effective
in promoting their messages of creativity, originality, and community. If they continue to stay
relevant in youth culture and fashion-forward communities, Depop will most likely continue to
flourish.

11. Maia Hass Social Media Marketing March 3rd
. 2020
Works Cited
Haley, D. (2019, October 31). Yoann Pavy Explains How Depop is Using Social Media to Reach
Generation Z. Retrieved from https://www.alistdaily.com/lifestyle/yoann-pavy-depop-social-
media/
Lorenz, T. (2019, June 13). Why Teens Are Selling Clothes Out of Their Closets. Retrieved from
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/06/depop-live-selling-clothes-
influencers/591595/
Lunden, I. (2015, January 29). Social Shopping App Depop Raises $8M, Hires Ex-Reddit GM to Break
Into US Marketing. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2015/01/29/social-shopping-app-
depop-raises-8m-hires-ex-reddit-gm-to-break-into-us-market/
Schneier, M. (2019, August 19). Got It on Depop: The app that has Gen Z hooked on thrifting.
Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2019/08/depop-app-gen-z.html