Tern provides a plug-and-play circular retail platform that enables brands to run trade‑in, buyback, takeback, resale and reuse programmes, automate rewards and relisting, and capture product data to unlock revenue from pre‑owned goods.
Circularity Relevance
Core
Platform's primary purpose is to enable circular retail programmes (trade‑in, buyback, resale, reuse), an explicit circular economy use case. [Source: Tern website]
Circular Role
SupportEnabler
Tern provides white‑label software and admin tools for brands to operate their own circular programmes (SaaS). The company also offers services via a network, but primary function is enabling brands rather than acting as the direct physical handler in most cases. [Source: Tern website]
Circular Type
CircularRetailer
• Products
• B2C
• C2B
Tern supplies a brand‑owned storefront and admin to enable resale and takeback within a single organisation's sales channel (CircularRetailer). Value objects are physical products; matchmaking covers consumers selling to brands (C2B) and brands selling preloved products to consumers (B2C). [Source: Tern website; Shopify App Store]
R Strategy
R3 - Reuse, R4 - Repair, R5 - Refurbish
Primary evidence: trade‑in and resale explicitly enable reuse (R3). Website also references repair (coming soon) and resale/refurbish workflows, supporting repair (R4) and refurbish (R5) as secondary strategies. [Source: Tern website]
Circular Business Model
Resale / Second-hand, Take-back / Buy-back
Core features and marketing emphasise trade‑in, buyback and relisting for resale; these are the primary business models enabled. [Source: Tern website; Shopify App Store]
Organisational Type
ForProfit
Developer listed as 'Tern Eco Ltd' on Shopify app listing (Ltd = for‑profit company). [Source: Shopify App Store]
Sector
Retail & Consumer Goods
Website and product positioning target brands and retailers running trade‑in/resale programmes; examples and case studies are retail brands. Source: Tern website, 2025
Geographical Reach
International
• United Kingdom
Offered as a Shopify app (globally available) and used by UK retailers; evidence of international availability via Shopify but customer base appears UK‑heavy. [Source: Shopify App Store; LinkedIn]
Hardware Component
None
No specialised hardware is provided or required; solution is delivered as software (Shopify app and admin). [Source: Tern website; Shopify App Store]
Tech Map Relevance
Tern provides a software platform specifically designed to enable circular retail programmes (trade-in, buyback, takeback, resale). This directly matches the Circular Tech Map inclusion criteria. Source: Tern website, 2025
Enablers are initially categorised by an AI agent, then verified by a real human. Suggestions or corrections are most welcome.
