Making the Most of Back-to-School 2014
It’s that bittersweet moment of the year that marks the end of summer and heralds the change of seasons. Even if you aren’t attending school or have children who do, it calls to mind going back to school, choosing classes, reconnecting with friends and classmates. It is also the time when you get to make a new impression. Back-to-school is in many ways an exciting time that signals new beginnings and, frankly, new stuff.
A National Spending Spree and the Rise of Tween Shoppers
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2014 Back-to-School Survey, the average family will spend $669.28 on back-to-school items, up 5% from the year before. And that’s only for families that have children from kindergarten through high school. Combined spending for back to school and college is expected to reach 74.9 billion dollars. Teens are planning to spend a total of 913 million dollars of their own money on school stuff, and research shows tweens today are much more involved in their parents’ back-to-school purchase decisions compared to previous generations. An interesting trend in young shoppers are the rise of young individuals called “YouTube haulers” who showcase their shopping skills and their budget-friendly “haul” to starry-eyed would-be shoppers.
Meeting Your Customers on All Platforms
It’s no surprise that back-to-school shopping is just as influenced by advances in technology and marketing as other industries. With the country on a national spending spree, it would be insane not to try and get in on the action. As we have mentioned on our blog a few months back, research reveals that it’s going to be a big year for mobile with 36.7 percent of smartphone owners looking up products on their mobile devices. One in five will make a purchase directly on their phone, and a quarter will use their smartphone to locate a physical store. Moreover, according to adweek.com, 46.1 percent of back-to-school shoppers found new products in marketing and promotional e-mails. Now more than ever is the time to engage customers on every single platform available to you.
