Back Market
Back Market's initial buyer persona seemed obvious: someone seeking maximum savings, price-sensitive, willing to accept some compromise. But analysis of purchase data in the early years revealed a very different profile.
Back Market's primary buyer was not the "deal hunter". It was the "pragmatic upgrader": someone who wanted an iPhone 13 but found the 14 or 15 price excessive. They were not looking for the cheapest product possible — they were looking for the product they wanted, at a price that made sense.
This completely redefined communication. Instead of "save 50%", the right message was "the iPhone 13 you want, at a price that makes sense". Not the old used model — the model you want, verified, with warranty.
The buyer persona also revealed where this user was: not on second-hand listing platforms (where they expected low-quality products), but on channels where they compared new product prices (Google Shopping, tech review blogs). Back Market invested in SEO and advertising on exactly those queries — "iPhone 13 price" — intercepting intent before it became a new product purchase.
Result: a significantly higher conversion rate than targeting the "maximum savings" profile would have generated.
The buyer persona is discovered from real behavioural data, not from survey questions. Who actually buys most and with highest satisfaction is the real buyer persona — not who says they want to buy.