It’s time to start sharpening your pencils and gathering your books! The first day of school is right around the corner, which means that it’s time to start ramping up your back-to-school marketing for eCommerce. Now that you’ve aced Amazon Prime Day the back-to-school season has officially begun and it’s the perfect event to help keep up momentum through the rest of Q3. 

While the crisp breeze of September and classes may feel far off in the midst of summer’s heat, consumers are already hitting the books in search of a good deal on school supplies, and so should you! As more and more shoppers look to eCommerce for a convenient back-to-school shopping experience, along with over $125 billion predicted in back-to-school spending, it’s time for you to solidify your spot at the top of the class. So grab your notebooks, in this blog we’ll provide you with a full study guide for back-to-school marketing success! From planning ahead with the right study strategies for each opportunity, to setting the curve with personalized funding—we’ve got all the back-to-school marketing tactics for you to ensure that this is your best year yet. 

Consumer Trends

Before we dive into all the back-to-school marketing tactics you’ll need, it’s important to study up on exactly why the season is perfect for your eCommerce business. Let’s review: 

Going back-to-School early

According to the National Retail Federation’s annual back-to-school survey, the majority of back-to-class shoppers have already begun marking purchases. This marks one of the earliest back-to-school seasons to date, with over half of relevant consumers already having made at least one school-related purchase in early July. But don’t give up just yet! Over 80% of these consumers say that the majority of their shopping will come in late July and early August when they expect more exclusive discounts to appear and local schools to release supply lists. 

The cost of back-to-school season 

While over a hundred billion dollars is predicted in combined spending for back-to-school and back-to-college shoppers, what does that really mean for retailers? The average family of school-aged children is anticipated to spend an average of $875, while the average family of college-aged students will likely be closer to $1,350. These numbers are slightly lower than last school year, however, they’re still the second highest budget ever anticipated for consumers. Unsurprisingly, consumers across the board expect to spend the most on technology and electronics, which many plan to purchase during Prime Day or even wait until Black Friday.

This means that eCommerce sellers who hope to take advantage of back-to-school should focus their marketing strategy on special discounts that bring value to consumers. At the same time, consumers still have a very healthy budget for the school year, so there’s plenty of room to increase the average order value through strategic marketing efforts. 

Where are consumers going for back-to-school? 

Each year, more and more consumers are looking to eCommerce businesses as the back-to-school shopping destination. This year 50% of back-to-school shoppers are planning to shop online, outpacing the second highest destination, retail stores, by a whopping 15%. Altogether that means a massive potential ROI for any back-to-school campaigns. 

Stock up on inventory ASAP 

The back-to-school season comes right on the heels of Amazon’s Prime Day–a shopping event notorious for leaving sellers with little to no inventory. While that might mark a successful sale, it’s not a good look if you’re hoping to outrank competitors or win the Buy Box during back-to-school season. Put your best foot forward to consumers by restocking popular products in time so that they never have to wait for an order. This is especially important for Amazon arbitrage and wholesale sellers who stock popular brands for back-to-school items and want to capitalize on the increased demand. 

Adapt and optimize existing content 

A fully optimized product listing has the potential to naturally generate greater traffic and sales for your business during the back-to-school season. By adapting content to fully optimize for seasonal events like back-to-school marketing you can capitalize on increased searches by consumers to successfully promote deals and relevant products. For your listings to have the desired effect on parents and students during the back-to-school season, make sure to include aesthetically pleasing and seasonally appropriate images and list all important information that might appeal to customers. 

To adapt and optimize your listings for back-to-school marketing for eCommerce consider: 

• Updating images. Make sure that all images on your product listing are high quality and highlight the relevant aspects of your product, including accurate coloring. This is especially important if you’re selling or promoting dorm-related items. It’s also wise to consider adding some seasonally-themed images to your listings, showcasing their relevance to the back-to-school season. 
• Listing all relevant details. By including as much information as possible in your listing, you’ll answer any potential questions from customers–allowing them to make a fully informed decision. Be sure to utilize bullet points to convey any important information quickly and concisely to customers. 
• Conducting keyword research and temporarily including back-to-school related keywords. Ensure that you’re not missing any important search terms in your listings that could drive more customers to your product. Make sure that keywords currently trending upwards are included in your listing to guarantee that your product is placed in front of potential customers, including back-to-school marketing language.
• Update eCommerce Storefronts. 

Pro-Tip: By temporarily including back-to-school marketing language throughout your product listing you’ll attract parents and students searching for a deal. This will allow you to take advantage of increased search volume, driving traffic to product listings and, in the long run, profit.

Create back-to-school product collections for your store

As you adapt your content marketing strategy for the back-to-school season, it’s smart to create product collections in your store so that parents can easily find everything they need. Not only will this offer convenience for consumers, it also helps to highlight any high-value products and promote brand visibility. The more back-to-school products you offer in your collection, the higher an average order will likely be. 

Product Collections on Amazon 

1. In your Amazon Store Builder, add a new section to the page. 
2. Select the product collection tile and place it. 
3. Select an image that’s mobile and desktop friendly, add a title, and complete any other optional settings. 
4. Add products by entering a list on manually selecting though search. 
5. Customize the Stores layout by clicking on ‘Show design options.’
6. Review and submit for publishing. 

Product Collections on Shopify

1. From your Shopify admin page, go to Products > Collections. 
2. Click ‘Create collection.’
3. Enter a title and description for the collection. 
4. In the ‘Collection type’ section, click ‘Manual.’ 
5. Click ‘Save.’ 
6. In the ‘Products section, search for products or click ‘Browse,’ and then add the products that you want to have in the collection.
7. Click ‘Save.’ 
8. Add a link to your collection in your online store navigation so that customers can find and view the collection. 

Increase back-to-school marketing budgets 

While upgrading back-to-school marketing for eCommerce businesses is a good choice for any seller, this is especially critical if your brand is selling in a competitive category or product. Good marketing, especially from strategic PPC campaigns across social media, Google, and marketplaces, will help increase conversions by directing shoppers to your listings. This means that having a healthy budget for PPC campaigns is of the utmost importance.  

If you’re hoping to make the most of your back-to-school season marketing budget for your eCommerce business, now is the time to start running campaigns. By laying the groundwork ahead of peak season you’ll help to make customers aware of your products and drive brand recognition. Ad campaigns can also help remind customers that many of these deals are time-sensitive, compelling them to act now. 

Make the most of these campaigns by: 

• Testing different ad strategies. 
• Increase keyword bids. 
• Diversifying your ad platforms. 
• Analyzing PPC performance and profitability. 

Generate excitement on social media 

Despite back-to-school shopping moving increasingly more online, the excitement of selecting school supplies has not been lost on school-aged children. In recent years social media has generated significant buzz around the back-to-school season for students, showcasing a mix of coveted school supply classics and new, trendier items through hauls and vlogs. Even parents are using social media to find the best deals for the back-to-school season, with more than half of parents stating that they plan to use social media to assist in school supply shopping. 

When targeting back-to-school social media ads keep in mind who your intended audience is. While almost all parents and students will be looking to purchase traditional school supplies, the more niche or specialized items, like computers or dorm essentials, are highly dependent upon age and grade. If you’re looking to connect more with the parents of students, you’ll need to be present on the platforms they frequent, especially Facebook. However, if your products are suited more towards high schoolers or college students, you can likely connect with them directly through Instagram and TikTok. 

Back-to-School marketing influencers

One great way to reach your ideal audience is by capitalizing on the use of influencer marketing strategies. With the help of the right influencers, your back-to-school marketing for eCommerce will appear seamless and effortless–engaging highly impressionable teenagers and young adults with its authenticity. And, not only do these young consumers have a growing amount of buying power in the market, they also have the potential to become loyal customers to your brand. By working with influencers who are well-established and trusted you can build a strong reputation for your brand and its products that will outlast the school year. 

Offer a variety of back-to-school deals 

No two customers are perfectly alike, especially when it comes to back-to-school marketing for eCommerce. The back-to-school deals attract a wide variety of customer profiles including the parents of school-aged children, college students and their parents, teachers, and more. In order to meet the needs and demand of every demographic you’ll need to diversify your back-to-school marketing strategies and offer a range deal types and sales. 

Subscriptions 

Almost 40% of millennial shoppers utilize the “Subscribe to save” function on Amazon, ensuring that they never run out of essentials. If you’re selling school supplies that will need to be replenished over time, subscription based sales might be a strategic offer to attract customers while also driving greater sales in the long run for your eCommerce business. Plus, discounting subscriptions is enticing for customers seeking out a good deal, like parents or college students. 

Time-sensitive deals 

By offering a variety of deals, including time-sensitive sales, you can compel customers to make a purchase by generating a sense of urgency. If your eCommerce business is based on Amazon, you can create new deals in Seller Central and the marketplace will highlight them by showing a “Limited Time” banner, along with the original price as compared to the temporary sale in search results. 

Back-to-school bundles 

In an effort to reduce stress and simplify the back-to-school shopping process for parents, as well as boost your average order value (AOV), many eCommerce sellers have begun to offer school supply bundles. Bundles save busy shoppers time and money while catering to the needs of parents and students by gathering all the coveted back-to-school brands in one place. 

Plus, by streamlining the shopping experience you’ll be positioning your eCommerce brand as a trusted problem solver. By addressing common consumer pain points and offering convenient solutions you can drive long-term brand recognition and loyalty from shoppers. 

Pay Attention to Social Trends

It may seem obvious, but the more you engage with organic back-to-school content on social media platforms, stay in tune with trends, and keep an eye out for what products are popular this school year. By engaging with your target audience, school and college-aged students, on the social media platforms where they’re present and maintaining a relatable voice you can drive brand awareness and brand loyalty. Not only does this help to drive traffic to your eCommerce business and generate sales over time, it also positions your brand as “relevant” and trendy–a coveted label among teenagers. 

In addition to attracting new customers with relevant content strategies, paying attention to trends can also help you increase profit margins for the back-to-school season. Many trendy products are small, inexpensive to produce, and can generate immense sales momentum. If your eCommerce business has the supply chain agility to capitalize on these trends it can be a huge back-to-school campaign for your brand. However, be sure to forecast inventory carefully as these items can go out of style just as quickly. 

Budgeting for back-to-school marketing for eCommerce 

While the back-to-school season has historically been overlooked, it has immense potential for eCommerce sellers looking to keep up momentum through Q3. As consumers are looking to secure deals on school supplies and other essentials earlier each year, back-to-school marketing for eCommerce has the potential to drive profit and customer acquisition with authentic advertising and strategic pricing. Plus, the back-to-school season is the perfect time to get a leg up on those yearly goals and outsell competitors who have hit a slump after Prime Day. As eCommerce marketplaces become increasingly competitive, especially for arbitrage and wholesale sellers, it’s critical that you take advantage of every opportunity to scale your business. 

If you’re looking to make the most of the new semester, it’s critical that you have an eCommerce funding tutor with the resources available to help you succeed. That’s where Viably comes in. Viably is a people-first banking and funding experience, designed to help eCommerce sellers grow their business to the best of their ability. With tailor-made funding offers, you can have the working capital you need to invest in acing back-to-school marketing for eCommerce businesses in your bank account as soon as tomorrow.