Year after year, the eCommerce business is skyrocketing. And while the 2020 Covid- 19 pandemic had an important role to play in this, 2022 is increasingly witnessing eCommerce growth trends. If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed much, it’s the consistent routine of kids going back to school. But this year, the back-to-school shopping season may look a little different mainly due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19. A recent study predicted back-to-school budgets will spike to a whopping $32.5 billion for KG to 12th-grade compulsory school-age students. Most prime members, parents, and students will stitch to online shopping who visited the malls in the past years. So, is your site ready to gain additional revenue from school shoppers in what could be one of the most awaited back-to-school seasons yet? With the right eCommerce strategies, proper prep, and good back-to-school marketing tactics you can make significant conversions at your online store this September or August. 10 easy-to-implement strategies to get your store ready for the back-to-school rush 1.Optimise your online store and make it mobile-friendly Simplify and optimise your digital shopping experience by making your school items like books, stationery, backpacks, clothing, tech devices, electric toothbrushes, etc easily findable. Power up your digital game with a dedicated landing page, branded campaigns, and integrated campaign banners and badges across your online eCommerce websites. Almost half of the eCommerce shopping traffic comes from mobile devices, so create a mobile app for seamless online purchases with properly loading images, and rightly-placed CTA buttons. Optimise your website for speed providing a better experience on a mobile device. 2.Create a solid shopping experience, both online and in-store Create an omni-channel merchandising experience across every touchpoint, including brick-and-mortar, eCommerce, or third-party marketplaces. Incorporate a link to your eCommerce marketing strategy on social media platforms, highlight your brand online whenever possible, and welcome new customers to your brand with a dedicated email marketing. 3.Nurture your relationship with your customer Invest in your customer’s journey from the moment they land on your site till the end point of sale. Offer first purchase discount, followed by a welcome email. Product recommendations, buy now pay later BNPL form of credit, chatbots, and loyalty programs are also great retention strategies. 4.Learn what are school shoppers’ needs this year Find out what school purchases are people hunting for this year. Using Google Analytics, top-grossing searches, and popular searches, understand their needs to make strategic campaign strategies that improve the shopping experience and sales. 5.Update your website Through your website remind your shoppers of what they need for the back-to-school prime days. Use popups or dialogue boxes and emails to draw attention to new sale items You could also run special promotions or incentives for back-to-school merchandise. Create a better UX by making your site speed as fast as possible, assuring secure purchases, creating a back-to-school section on your homepage and by adding a banner. 6.Get social media ready Plug into shoppers’ back-to-school needs through targeted Facebook ads or using Instagram stories to promote your business. Add links to your social media profiles to your email newsletters, making it even easier to increase your Average Order Value (AOV). Increased demand for social media marketing is expected to grow more than 1.5 times compared to 2020. 7.Offer value with your promotions Think about how you can add extra value to your offers and stay ahead of your competitors. Come up with exclusive offers that are available only on your site, provide better quality, customer service, and personalised shopping experience, and add links to your promotional BTS offers on various platforms. 8.Create shopping guides and checklists Create back-to-school shopping lists and guides to grab parents’ attention towards your website and its content marketing and let them know they can get the items that they need on your own website. 9.Create buzz through giveaways Set a clear goal for the school BTS contest before offering free stuff to your visitors as in what you want to achieve with it; grow your email subscriber list, boost engagement, or increase sales. 10.Let BTS campaigns be part of your marketing every year eCommerce marketers must include school purchases shopping in the promotional and editorial calendar each school year. Don’t forget in 2018, over $58.1B was spent online for the back-to-school season. Back-To-School Marketing Trends for E-Commerce Stores In 2021 · As per the latest Deloitte back-to-school survey, as many as 62% are expected to go back to offline schooling, 11 % may be virtual, and approx. 19% may opt for hybrid learning. · This may significantly affect BTS spending, which is projected to be the highest this year, around $12.5 billion. · According to another reliable source, the overall BTS sales expected reach maybe $32.5 billion in 2022, compared to $28.1 billion in 2020, increasing by 16%. · The average school spend per student is projected to grow from $529 in 2020 to $612 in 2021. · 39% of households in 2022 are planning to spend more on BTS items, compared to 22% in 2021. · As per Deloitte’s survey, items that will dominate back-to-school shopping carts this year are various electronic gadgets and hardware (growing by 47% and 28% from last year). · Demand for COVID-19 pandemic-related items such as wet wipes, hand sanitisers, and masks will continue to grow in 2022. While in 2020, $2 billion was spent on hygiene products, this year the number is expected to grow by $2.98 billion with an almost 1 billion rise. · In addition, tech products will continue to stay the demand for online communication and staying connected with your dear ones. · August and early September are predicted to account for nearly $16 billion more sales in 2022. Most retailers in the UK start to prepare for ‘Back-to-School’ sales in mid-August, so it’s time to catch that BTS sales train now if you haven’t launched your campaigns yet. Get back-to-school ready BTS sales events are likely to be similar to pre-COVID times and grow in 2022, which will be great news for eCommerce store owners. Thus, back-to-school eCommerce strategies can be a great way to increase your revenue. August and early September are the perfect months to set your back-to-school marketing ideas and enjoy the benefits of this season. References 5 easy ways to ramp up the back-to-school e-commerce strategy. www.retailcustomerexperience.com. (2021, August 26). Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/blogs/5-easy-ways-to-ramp-up-the-back-to-school-e-commerce-strategy/ Liubertaitė, R. (2022, May 4). ? 9 back-to-school marketing ideas for e-commerce: Vertexsms. VertexSMS Blog. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://blog.vertexsms.com/back-to-school-marketing-ideas-for-e-commerce/ 6 smart e-commerce strategies for back-to-school shopping. Splitit. (n.d.). Retrieved August 5, 2022, from https://www.splitit.com/blog/6-smart-e-commerce-strategies-for-back-to-school-shopping/ GET IN TOUCH: Name * Company * Phone Email * Subject Message *
