Prep Your Store for Back-to-School Shopping

The back-to-school shopping season is here, with revenue potential of $84 billion, according to Go Digital Marketing. That’s the highest you’ll see all year, after the winter holiday blitz, and the Wall Street Journal reports that this year’s spending will go up 3.5% Lucky for you, most back-to-school shoppers still seek their goods via the traditional brick-and-mortar route. Here are five ways to draw them into your store:

1. Email campaign. During the back-to-school shopping season, search frequency picks up for keywords related to apparel, hairstyles, and room décor. Use these and keywords such as “free” and “sale” to optimize the subject line of your email campaign. And don’t forget to personalize your subject line, too—this can result in a 44% increase in unique open rates.
2. Flash sales. Time is of the essence with back-to-school shoppers. Use social media integration to remind them that your promotion won’t last forever. Tweet last-chance flash sale updates, and include countdown clocks on your website banner and product pages, as well.
3. Consistent messaging. Today’s shoppers do their research—checking for discounts, coupons, store addresses, and price information on multiple devices. Whether it’s “Back to School Saturday” or “20% off High-Tops,” make sure your back-to-school messaging is consistent across every channel, from your affiliate sponsor banner ads to your emails to your in-store posters.
4. Tie-ins. Your store may not sell binders and pencils, but that doesn’t mean you can’t profit from this time of year. Promote boxed-lunch ideas at your grocery store; teacher discounts at your beauty store; and specials for parents at your restaurant. Whatever you sell, there’s always a creative way to make a connection.
5. Last-minute stock. The back-to-school season starts two months before the school door opens, but many shoppers wait until the month of August, up until the day before school starts, to fill their backpacks.

Which back-to-school items sold best this last year? Did one brand of apparel outsell the others? Were you left with backstock on a particular item? With Revel’s Intelligent Reporting Suite, you can stock up wisely based on your store’s specific selling trends.