Peak summer is also peak back to school marketing time

photo from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Early_back-to-school_display_at_Walmart%2C_Kingston%2C_NY.jpg/637px-Early_back-to-school_display_at_Walmart%2C_Kingston%2C_NY.jpg

Just after the firecrackers fade out on the Fourth of July, marketers shift their tune from the pleasures of summer to anticipating back to school. While the messaging may appear out of sync with the beach season, it’s actually right on target for the majority of shoppers. 

Deloitte’s 2019 back-to-school survey anticipates very strong sales at the end of this summer. They anticipate back to school spending to hit $27.8 billion, or $519 per student, up slightly from $510 in 2018. The lion’s share of the total -- $15 billion -- is allocated to clothing and accessories. School supplies are second at $6.1 billion. The remaining amount is split fairly closely between the categories of computers and electronic gadgets. 

Over half of those purchases occur in-store, the shopping venue of choice for 56 percent of those surveyed. Online shopping is still quite a way behind at percent though that is up from what it has been in the past. 

Whether they’re shopping in person or on their devices, though, most are not waiting for the approach of Labor Day. In fact, Deloitte forecasts that 62 percent of the purchases are made by early August, which means that marketers aiming for that $17.3 billion need to get started early. 

That is consistent with what Jose Sánchez, Head of Creative Studio, Smartly.io says in his tips for marketers who want to capitalize on this extremely lucrative market in an interview with DMN. He observed that half of shoppers have already completed their back to school purchases by August. 

Read more in Back to School Forecast

Capitalizing on Holiday Marketing Throughout the Year

Every holiday occasions sales, though some have greater effects than others, and Labor Day is anticipated to be one of those bigger days. According to Adobe’s Digital Dollar Report, this year’s Labor Day is expected to reach the $2 billion mark in sales.

What marketers can do to capitalize on these occasions is not just to offer the usual promotional pricing but to engage customers by reaching out to them in a data-driven and emotionally intelligent way.

The data that Optimove  pulled up on holiday sales indicates Labor Day, like Memorial Day, enjoys a marked lift in sales. While the Fourth of July does occasion an increase of nine percent over an average order, which is ahead of Labor Day’s three percent and Memorial Day’s one percent, it falls behind other key measurements.

Read more in 

What to Expect on Labor Day