Believe it or not, back-to-school is in full swing now. The traditional back-to-school season has changed and marketers need to make note. The reason for many of these changes are year-round school schedules, just-in-time shopping, online shopping habits and budgets. The back-to-school season has become more of a pinnacle of an ongoing activity than a confined season.
How big is back-to-school? Combined school and college spending was estimated at $72.5 billion, making it the second-biggest season for retailers. Winter holiday ranks first at $84 billion and Mother’s Day comes in at third at $21 billion. Here are five things to know about this year.
1. Back-to-school shopping starts in July. Americans began their search as early as June last year. Google conducted a study during the 2013 season and found that 23% of respondents began back-to-school research before July 4, with nearly two-thirds (65%) starting by the end of July. In contrast, only 35% said they made a purchase by the end of July.
One difference in the early and traditional shopper may be their form of shopping. The early shoppers are using their desktop and tablets to shop, while the more traditional are using mobile devices and shopping in-store.
During back-to-school 2013, competitive pricing was the top use of mobile, with 66 percent of shoppers planning to use their smartphones to obtain price information and 60 percent to obtain discounts, coupons, or sale information–up 15 percentage points from 2012. There is a whopping 78% of smartphone owners using their mobile devices for shopping.
2. Just in time shopping. The mall has been replaced by online and teens are constantly shopping for new ideas. The world of disposable fashion has lead teens to take advantage of affordable retailers and wait to see what their friends are wearing. Digital-native students are shopping constantly throughout the year, even if they’re not buying.
Just-in-time shopping also shows that as many as 50% parents only buy what is essential for back to school and then buy additional needs during the holiday season, when they expect the best deals.
3. Online is #3 destination. eMarketer forecasts that digital sales for the back-to-school season will increase 16.0% in 2014. The retail sector is picking up momentum this year and sales should grow. According to Deloitte, among top back-to-school shopping destinations in 2013, 36 percent of consumers shopped online, moving online shopping to the third destination behind discount and office supply/technology stores, a significant jump from the No. 8 position in 2012.
5. Smartphone Tool for Shopping. During back-to-school 2013, competitive pricing was the top use of mobile, with 66 percent of shoppers planning to use their smartphones to obtain price information and 60 percent to obtain discounts, coupons, or sale information–up 15 percentage points from 2012. There is a whopping 78% of smartphone owners using their mobile devices for shopping.
What should marketers do this season?
1. Make sure your campaigns are live now and active through September. To stand out, thing about using video and consumer stories to help tell the story. Search should be already in place.
2. Make sure your content is available on tablet and mobile. Don’t forget social. Hashtags like #stapleshasit and L.L.Bean’s #packmentality, which leapt from social media into display, email and print last season, will proliferate in 2014.
3. Solicit stories from your customers to drive positive reviews.
4. Time your sales (early-bird and end of season) to match buying periods.
5. Differentiate between back-to-school and back-to-college.
