Beyond Purchase: Aftercare Services as a Driver of Sustainable Fashion Retail

As the fashion industry moves toward a circular economy, retail is evolving beyond a simple point of sale to become a hub for sustainability and long-term product care. This study explores how aftercare services, including repair, maintenance, and second-life initiatives, help brands shift from one-time transactions to servicedriven customer relationships. By analyzing a diverse range of fashion brands, the research identifies six different aftercare models, each offering varying levels of digitization, channel integration, service coverage, process transparency, brand control, and customer autonomy. The findings highlight that aftercare is more than just a post-purchase service—it is a key strategy for circularity, strengthening consumer engagement and brand sustainability commitments.