Back-to-School Marketing: Tips for 2024

Summer is coming to an end and paving the way for one of the biggest e-commerce shopping seasons of the year – back-to-school (BTS). Thousand of families, teachers, and college students will shop for their needs, such as electronics, clothing, school supplies, arts and crafts supplies, shoes, and so much more, for a successful semester.

The National Retail Federation estimates that total back-to-school spending will reach $38.8 billion for families with small children. It even aims high for those returning to college—$86.6 billion.

Moreover, most US shoppers now plan to shop as early as late July, whereas traditionally, most of the spending occurs in early August. 

Online shopping remains a top choice for families with small children and back-to-college shoppers. 

Let’s not forget that this e-commerce holiday is not exclusive to students and their families; it is a motivational period for all ages. It carries a similar sense of fresh beginnings as the New Year.

If you want to use your e-commerce website to help your customers cross the items they need off their lists, this article on back-to-school marketing campaigns will assist you in your planning journey.

When Does Back-to-School Start?

Back-to-school targeting varies on the school year start dates all around the globe. Here are some standard dates when school starts in the Northern and Southern hemispheres:

• United States and Europe: from mid-July to mid-September, depending on the state
• Canada: early September
• Mexico: end of August
• Brazil: first week of February
• New Zealand, Australia: January, February
• Japan: April 1

20 Back-to-School Marketing Ideas

Start Your Back-to-School Campaign Planning Early

We recommend starting to plan campaigns as early as the summer begins, and your promotions can begin in mid-July or late July. 

Before delving into the intricacies of marketing campaigns, however, you should decide which groups of customers you want to target primarily and which products you want to focus on for your promotions. Checking the search terms and the sales of the previous years, as well as your current inventory, would help you decide. 

Related Article: Brand Awareness 101: How To Measure It?

Choose The Right Products

Depending on your specialties, choosing the right products can boost your sales more. School supplies, tech products, books, accessories, healthy snacks, sports equipment, bags, and clothing items like hoodies, leggings, and hats are always safe choices. 

Related Article: Top 10 Trending Products To Sell Online In 2023

Back-to-School Promotions

You have various options to attract your customers with promotions, like percentage-based or cash discounts, bundle deals, free shipping options, promo codes, and student and teacher discounts. These promotions may be planned for a limited time and/or only for specific products.

In addition to the promotions, offering gift cards to your customers also has the potential to increase your total sales. With gift cards, customers who wish to buy gifts for students in their lives will also have the option to purchase your products. 

Bundling your products in various kits or offering other products during the checkout and decreasing the prices accordingly will also help you clear out your inventory quickly and easily.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a significant strategy to help parents and college students shop for school supplies. Embellished with surprise discounts, advice about back-to-school shopping or the upcoming new school year, personalized email content, and discounts make all the difference. 

Coordinating the timing and design of your email marketing efforts is critical. Shoppers will, first and foremost, look for the opportunities you offer; use both your subject line and the first line of copy in your email body to incentivize your customers to open the email as soon as they see it. 

While planning your strategies, also working on your back-to-school marketing slogans, in addition to your promotions, can strengthen the final results of the campaigns.

Targeting the early birds and the procrastinators would also boost your sales, especially if you use the power of fear of missing out with limited discounts and countdowns. 

The power of automated cart reminder emails should also be used to convert carts that potential customers abandoned for various reasons. Additionally, offering discounts in the abandoned cart reminder emails should speed up the process. 

Related Article: What is Email Marketing? (2023 Guide)

Create Valuable BTS Content on Social Media 

Effective social media campaigns can build customer awareness of your brands, products, and back-to-school promotions. 

Following the trends of that particular late summer, you can organize essay or photo contests, share trivia and quotes, and ask your customers to send back-to-school photos or past photos with a specific hashtag you choose. 

Sharing information about back-to-school products you designated for your campaigns and content for back-to-school tips like back-to-school hairstyles, outfit ideas, organization, and decoration ideas is also helpful.

Additionally, you can take advantage of influencer marketing. Influencers may promote your brand for you – especially if they are parents or college students.  

Update Your Storefront to Match the BTS Season

If you want to pass the BTS season with flying colors, change your landing page to match the schooltime aesthetic. This way, you can attract customers with your back-to-school products and promotions when they click on your website. Plus, your landing page will look brighter than ever. 

Showing your products or brands on the landing page in specific categories will ease the burden on your customers and help them develop purchasing ideas more quickly. 

Related Article: Top 5 Digital Skills You Should Learn In 2023

Create Valuable Resources on Your Blog

Here are a few back-to-school content ideas you can try:

• Blog posts and shopping guides about the products you recommend your customers to purchase.
• The best back-to-school suggestions for students, parents, and teachers so that they have a successful and happy new school year.
• Detailed product reviews that are written by specialists or influencers. 
• Downloadable checklists and shopping lists for your customers.

Team Up With an Education Organization

Offering your customers donation options at the checkout is worth considering for three special reasons: it allows your company to acquire brand loyalty, support important causes, and make your customers feel good about themselves.

You can donate to local schools or nonprofit organizations specialized in education. You can also throw special events on the first day or week of the school year to introduce your products or services to the children, parents, and teachers, and you can attract them with special giveaways, hosts, influencers, contests, or donations. 

Include a Gift With Each Purchase

Gift with purchase (GWP) is a great way to increase brand recognition and customer satisfaction. 

You can offer unique gifts to your customers who purchase from your website during a specific timeframe or within a certain amount. The necessity to acquire a minimum order quantity may increase basket size and average order value. 

Gifts also maintain customer loyalty and may encourage repeat purchases. 

It’s also important to create urgency by deciding on a deadline for the promotion or letting your customers know that the gifts are only available while stocks last.

Increase Your Reach with a Refer-a-Friend Option

Your most loyal customers can become your strongest advocates by inviting their family members and friends to purchase your products, as well. Using a referral link or a unique code, your customers will have the chance to easily and quickly suggest your brand to their network.

Designing a referral program that fits your customers and your brand is critical for your refer-a-friend program. For example, you must decide how to design and promote the referral experience. 

By preparing your referral marketing strategy, you can make it easier for your customers to refer others. Your brand may incentivize your potential and existing customers for their efforts with discounts, cash, or freebies to build further customer trust if the potential customers invited to purchase your products also complete a purchase.

Personalize Shopping Experiences

Personalization is key to creating engaging shopping experiences, especially during the back-to-school season. By leveraging customer data, e-commerce businesses can tailor product recommendations, personalized emails, and custom landing pages to individual shoppers, increasing the likelihood of conversions. 

Artificial intelligence and machine learning tools play a crucial role in this process, as they can analyze customer behavior and preferences to predict what products will resonate most with each shopper. These advanced technologies enable businesses to offer relevant suggestions, making the shopping experience more convenient and satisfying, ultimately driving higher sales and customer loyalty.

Optimize Mobile Shopping Experience

Mobile shopping has become increasingly popular, particularly among busy parents and students who are often on the go. As more consumers rely on their smartphones for shopping, having a responsive, mobile-friendly e-commerce site is essential for capturing this audience. A well-optimized mobile site not only ensures a seamless shopping experience but also reduces bounce rates and increases conversion rates. 

To enhance usability, businesses should optimize site speed, simplify navigation, and ensure that all elements, including buttons and text, are easily accessible on smaller screens. By prioritizing mobile design, e-commerce sites can better meet the needs of today’s mobile shoppers and drive greater sales.

Create Loyalty Programs

Implementing a back-to-school loyalty rewards program can significantly enhance customer engagement during this peak shopping season. Offering rewards for purchases incentivizes repeat business and builds long-term customer loyalty. Additionally, providing exclusive discounts or early access to sales for loyalty program members creates a sense of exclusivity and urgency, encouraging more customers to join the program and take advantage of these special offers. 

This approach boosts sales during the back-to-school season. It helps retain customers beyond this period, fostering a loyal customer base that continues to engage with your brand throughout the year.

Collect Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Customer reviews and testimonials are powerful tools for building trust and credibility in your e-commerce business. Leveraging social proof through these reviews can significantly influence the purchasing decisions of new customers, as they often rely on the experiences of others to guide their choices. 

To maximize the impact of social proof, it’s important to encourage customers to leave reviews actively. You can do this by offering incentives such as discounts on future purchases or entries into a prize draw for those who submit a review. These strategies increase the number of reviews and enhance customer engagement, leading to higher conversion rates and stronger brand loyalty.

Focus on Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Products

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to consumers, making it a key focus for e-commerce businesses during the back-to-school season. Offering eco-friendly school supplies or clothing can attract environmentally-conscious shoppers who prioritize sustainable choices. These green products appeal to customers who are mindful of their environmental impact and set your brand apart as a responsible and forward-thinking company.

Additionally, using eco-friendly packaging reinforces your commitment to sustainability, enhancing your brand image and resonating with customers who value eco-conscious practices. By integrating sustainability into your product offerings and packaging, you can build a loyal customer base that appreciates and supports your green initiatives.

Integrate Online and Offline Shopping Experiences

Integrating online and offline shopping experiences offers significant customer benefits, such as the convenience of buying online and pick-up in-store (BOPIS) options. This approach provides flexibility and bridges the digital and physical retail gap, catering to different shopping preferences. 

Ensure a seamless experience across all channels, including social media, email, and physical stores, to further enhance customer satisfaction. Maintaining consistency in messaging, design, and service across these touchpoints creates a cohesive shopping journey that meets customer needs at every stage, ultimately driving higher engagement and loyalty.

Optimize Campaigns with Analytics

Tracking the success of your back-to-school campaigns is essential for refining your strategies and maximizing results. By using analytics tools, you can gain valuable insights into what’s working and where adjustments are needed. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rates, average order value, and customer acquisition costs help you understand customer behavior, measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, and make data-driven decisions to improve future performance. Regularly analyzing these KPIs allows you to optimize your marketing efforts, ensuring that your campaigns deliver the best possible outcomes.

Maximize Post-Back-to-School Oppurtunities

After the back-to-school rush, holding post-season clearance sales can effectively clear out the remaining inventory and make room for new products. These sales not only help in reducing excess stock but also attract bargain hunters, driving additional revenue. 

Beyond sales, it’s crucial to focus on customer retention. To keep the new customers you’ve acquired during the season, consider implementing follow-up strategies such as personalized emails, customer satisfaction surveys, or exclusive offers. These actions help maintain engagement, build loyalty, and encourage repeat purchases, turning seasonal shoppers into long-term customers.

Engage Customers with Interactive Shopping Experiences

Incorporating interactive shopping experiences can significantly enhance customer engagement and satisfaction. Technologies like augmented reality (AR) allow customers to virtually try on clothes or visualize how school supplies will look in their space, providing a more immersive and personalized shopping experience. 

Additionally, the growing trend of live shopping events offers another dynamic way to connect with customers. During these events, shoppers can view products in real time, ask questions, and make purchases instantly, creating a sense of immediacy and excitement. These interactive tools make shopping more enjoyable and help increase conversion rates and customer loyalty.

Get Inspired From Real Life Examples

Incorporating case studies or success stories of other brands’ back-to-school campaigns can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your readers. Real-world examples demonstrate the effectiveness of different strategies and offer practical lessons on what works in the competitive e-commerce landscape. 

Highlighting successful campaigns can also build credibility and show how specific tactics, like targeted promotions or innovative marketing approaches, have yielded tangible results. These stories motivate readers to implement similar strategies and provide a blueprint for success during the back-to-school season.

Related Article: 8 Ways To Increase Online Sales

Related Article: What is E-Commerce? (2023 Getting Started Guide)