Back-to-school season strategy: What products are selling well?

Summer is almost over and back-to-school shopping is in full swing. As families prepare to drop hundreds of dollars on new school supplies, apparel, electronics and more, sellers need to be fully prepared to profit from this peak shopping season.

Currently, 50% of families plan to purchase back-to-school supplies online, and spending during the U.S. back-to-school shopping season exceeds $80 billion, exceeding the total of Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and Easter.

How to seize a place in this hot market? What products are particularly popular during the back-to-school season?

According to the National Retail Federation's forecast, U.S. back-to-school shopping spending will reach $80.7 billion in 2019. It is estimated that American elementary and middle school students will spend an average of $696.7 on back-to-school products, and college students will spend $976.78 . This big pie is definitely worth the sellers' attention.

Back-to-school shopping spending in the UK in 2018 was nearly 1 billion pounds, and in Australia it was about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars. During the back-to-school season, consumers buy products including school supplies, shoes and clothing, and electronic products.

The back-to-school shopping season is a seasonal shopping season, and users begin purchasing products at least two months before school starts.

About a quarter of consumers start shopping two months before back-to-school, and most people shop between one month and three weeks before school starts. Many users shop one or two weeks before school starts. Therefore, sellers don’t have to worry about being too late for back-to-school marketing.

The start time of school depends on the location. The start time of school in the United States varies from state to state, and there are July, August, and September. For example, schools in Virginia and New York start in September, so August is a good time to sell. But schools in Arizona and Georgia usually start in August, and people may finish their shopping before August. When developing ads, you should target them according to location to ensure that you reach your target audience.

The back-to-school season is different in different hemispheres. For example, the new school year in Australia and New Zealand usually starts in late January or early February, right after Christmas and New Year, so the shopping period is relatively short. So don't start your ads too early to avoid missing out on the Christmas and New Year shopping rush.

In addition, many universities start classes at the end of September, so sellers also need to pay attention to September.

Before launching your back-to-school marketing, understand the categories that are hot-selling among consumers so you can adjust your store products and marketing.

The most popular product categories for back-to-school shoppers include:

Clothing and accessories

Electronic products

·shoe

·School supplies (notebooks, pens, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.)

The products most commonly purchased by college consumers include:

Electronic products

Clothing and accessories

· Dormitory apartment home decoration products

·food

·shoe

Personal care products

Gift Cards

School supplies

Whether in primary or secondary schools or universities, the highest spending categories are clothing and electronics. School supplies are also a necessity.

In recent years, dorm renovation has become a new trend, so home decoration is also a category worthy of investment for sellers.

After determining what products to sell, you can use Google Trends to verify. For example, with the start of the back-to-school shopping season, users are increasingly interested in backpacks, proving that this is a reliable product. Wallpaper is also a product with great potential. Many college students buy wallpaper to decorate walls and furniture.

Mothers are often seen as the main force in back-to-school shopping, but in addition, sellers also need to pay attention to the following three audience groups:

child

Not only do children influence their parents’ spending behavior, they also make purchases themselves. While they may not spend as much as their parents did, American teens are expected to spend $35.71 on back-to-school products in 2019.

If your product appeals to this group, consider targeting them with your marketing. Instagram Stories is a better channel for reaching this type of user than Facebook or Pinterest.

Father

Interestingly, men are expected to spend more on back-to-school shopping than women, with men spending $790.3 compared to women’s $607.8. Targeting dads could pay huge dividends.

teacher

In addition to students, teachers also started to take up their posts. Many teachers would pay out of their own pockets to buy some decoration products for the classroom.

Sellers can use the following methods to attract traffic during the back-to-school season:

Free delivery

90% of American back-to-school consumers prefer free shipping. Free shipping is one of the most important factors for consumers when placing an order. If you offer free shipping but the delivery time is long, you need to explain the delivery policy so that consumers can clearly understand the relevant information and avoid trouble.

Upsell and cross-sell

Consider upselling and cross-selling in your store. During the back-to-school shopping season, users will definitely need to buy multiple products. Sellers can launch package products, such as backpack + lunch box, pen + pencil case, making your store a one-stop shopping store for users.

Influencer Marketing

Consumers often rely on other people’s recommendations to purchase products, so influencer marketing is also a good strategy. With the help of influencers’ influence and fan effect, product sales can be greatly increased.

Localized Marketing

School starts on different days in different regions, so to avoid placing ads in areas where school has already started, take some time to research the start dates of school in your target areas and use Facebook’s localization options to set up your ads.

Even if the products you sell have nothing to do with the back-to-school season, it is a peak shopping period, with 48% of female consumers buying household products in addition to school supplies.

Back to school season is a new beginning for consumers, but it also marks the beginning of the cooler summer weather. Think about what back to school season means to you from different perspectives and develop a sales strategy based on your own direction. For example, if you sell jewelry, you can use advertising to imply that back to school is an opportunity to change your appearance. Through creative advertising, you can also get a piece of the pie from the back to school season.

Spend time researching and planning your marketing strategy. No matter what marketing measures you take, you will be able to profit from this shopping season. If you missed the back-to-school season in the northern hemisphere, you can consider turning your attention to the Australian and New Zealand markets. Sellers should act quickly.