Back-to-School Marketing 2022- Retail Trends and Forecasts

Back to school season is right here! It is also the time for a new beginning for both students and teachers. Likewise back to school season is also a busy time for business owners as it is the second biggest shopping season next to Christmas. Did you know that back to school sales (BTS)account for 68% of the Q3 sales of retailers?

Back-to-school sales, in the U.S. is expected to surge by 7.5% this year as against 2021.

Spread the Word

 After two years of online and hybrid learning, parents, teachers and students are looking forward to a normal school year in 2022.  

Here are some stats and retail trends that will show why the BTS season is a great opportunity for marketers to make profits and build a loyal customer base.

Back-to-school shopping season is huge, because it involves a massive student community that spans right from kindergarten to back- to -college.

Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach a record $37.1 billion in 2022; out of which apparels and electronics are the top two things people will be investing the most.

Students are expected to spend a staggering 1200 $  on apparels, electronics and apartment décor items during back to college season.

So, marketers should come up with appropriate custom school supplies and promotional ideas, to tap into this lucrative audience segment, to enhance their new school year sales. As BTS shoppers are likely to be active from late July till early August, retailers can sync their promotions to match this.  The earlier you  jump into the BTS promotional bandwagon, the more people you can engage with your brand!

Back to school  bundle gifts

It is likely that bundle gifts are going to be popular this year. Offer your customers personalized back-to-school-themed bundles that could include staples like notepads, erasers, rulers, crayons and more, which students may require. Back-to-school kits are a great choice for  buyers looking for money saving deals.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), online shopping continues to remain the top choice for both back-to-school (48%) and back-to-college shoppers (43%).

Online Shopping will continue to be popular

While online shopping continues to be the most popular option for BTS, parents and students will also be shopping at discount stores and department stores for BTS products.  Department stores make a convenient stopover for the whole family for products at a variety of price points; and are well poised to make a decent growth. After all, BTS shopping is an experience of its own. From the luxury of trying on new sizes to exploring the latest trends in person, retail shopping has a charm about it. This trend is expected to show an impressive growth this season.

Popular marketing trends

 Discount coupons will play a key role in tilting the scales of retail shopping. More businesses will be offering  future-use coupons, that their customers can use for their upcoming school purchases. It will increase repeat sales and revenue, even after the BTS sales are over!

Launching a customer loyalty program  is another strategy to ensure repeat sales and new leads. Marketers  can offer incentives and gift cards to increase customer satisfaction.

Organize  a last chance sale

Last chance sales create a sense of urgency in the minds of the shoppers. It will thus drive footfalls to your stores. It  is also an effective way to attract attention and sell off the leftover inventory while leaving the shoppers happy. Win-win

Cater to the changing needs of consumers

A lot of changes have happened in the schooling environment during the post pandemic times. So, it is recommended to include both traditional school supplies, from pens and notepads to virtual learning supplies like mouse pads will cater to every genre of audience .

Now for some popular gift choices for students, teachers and parents

Class room staples like notebooks, water bottles and backpacks make great handouts for students. If you are targeting the K-12 segment, consider giveaways like drawstring bags, stickers and sports bottles among others.

For the back-to-college  niche , marketers can even consider cooling towels, tech accessories like wireless earbuds. Reach out to the educators returning to school with handouts like coffee tumblers and  apparels like T shirts. Considering the fact that apparels are the second most popular category people plan to spend their money on, you can include apparels into your gift list. Accessories like beanies, caps and fanny packs will also make the gifts more value added.

In addition, think of useful gifts like tumblers and custom totes for teachers and parents. Think of products that will bring the most value to your audience. New school year will also start new athletics programs and fitness programs. So, handouts like custom polo shirts and hoodies will make a delightful addition to the wardrobe of the students.

Now that you have the most trending freebies on your list, you can thinks of some brilliant promotional ideas that will help you get started on a sure footing.

 Think of strategies that will pique interest in the minds of your customers and create a sense of urgency  to shop at your place. Flash sales, contests, discount offers and bundle deals are some of the ideas that can be considered.

Online contests

Take your branding into the wider realm of social media to create a buzz for your back to school sales. Organizing online contests is a proven way to engage your audience and increase brand awareness.  It could be anything like photo contest, trivia contest or  caption contest on back to school theme.

Email campaigns

Plan a massive email campaign to spread the word  about your back-to-school promotions. It will make sure that  your regular clients do not miss the deals and will even set off word of mouth publicity for the  event.

Share valuable back-to-school tips and ideas on social media

School administrators can engage with their audience in a subtle way, by sharing helpful tips on back to school promotions. It may be anything like school outfits and easy school lunch recipes among others. Make sure to come up with some interesting as well as useful tips that your audience will surely love. You can also ask your followers to  share their BTS experiences with your brand, to reinforce your client relations and make new leads.

Have a better idea on back to school promotions? Share with us on our facebook page.