Klarna has partnered with Reddit and the r/BuyItForLife community to launch a list of the most popular durable items across several product categories, to inspire shoppers to buy items that last longer and extend its sustainability efforts.
The list is derived from an analysis of recommended products made in the Reddit r/BuyItForLife community, members of which are interested in purchasing high-quality and durable products to reduce waste. The BIFL community has gathered over 1.4 million subscribers on Reddit since 2011.
The debut of the durable products list follows Klarna’s initiative roll out of Conscious and Shop Circular collections in the Klarna app, and the launch of a search and comparison tool and resell feature, all introduced to help consumers shop more consciously with their wallets and the planet in mind.
Using ChatGPT and through manual analysis, Klarna scanned r/BuyItForLife for the most frequently mentioned products in 2022 and filtered the results by positive and neutral sentiment. As a result, the 2023 BIFL List features products that were most often cited as durable and long-lasting, regardless of category, and includes products such as a water bottle and boots from Klean Kanteen and Red Wing and Dr. Martins.
The 2023 BIFL list also includes:
- Cookware set: Le Creuset
- Tableware: Corelle
- Office chair: Aeron from Herman Miller
- Clipper: Wahl
- Water boiler: Zojirushi
- Water bottle: Nalgene
- Thermos: Stanley
- Kettle: All-Clad
- Bag: Filson
- Sandals: Birkenstock
- Backpack: JanSport
- Sandals: Teva
“This list is based on the experience and opinions from the toughest test group out there: the people,” said Yvonne Quinn, head of international business marketing at Reddit. “We have seen the r/BuyItForLife-community grow and flourish for more than a decade, and are super excited to partner with Klarna to shine a light on the community and share all the great insights gathered by our Reddit users that inspire people to shop more consciously.”
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important factor among today’s shoppers, Klarna noted. Recent Bain & Co.’’s insights found that product quality and durability are among the top purchasing factors for shoppers around the world, Klarna pointed out. According to Klarna’s latest Shopping Pulse, 23% of global shoppers actively seek out brands that are ethical and sustainable.
Klarna intends to update the BIFL list on an annual basis. The company also has launched initiatives that it can potentially expand, all dealing with low-cost, more sustainable shopping. For example, Conscious badges in the Klarna app highlight the environmental achievements of electronics brands and a feature, kicked off in Sweden, allowing Klarna customers to resell their previous purchases directly through its app. In addition, Klarna has launched shop circular collections, spotlighting brands with circular initiatives including selling refurbished products that reduce waste and maximize product use, with Ikea and Philips among them. A Conscious brand initiative promotes environmental and social achievements among apparel sellers. Klarna added that it had made significant upgrades to its app’s CO2e tracker, which provides shoppers worldwide with emissions data at a product level for more than 70 million items through every step of the product’s lifecycle.
