Back-to-School Season 2024: An Ecommerce Brand’s Guide
While most people are settling into the relaxing rhythms of summer, not everyone is in vacation mode.
For ecommerce retailers, this isn’t downtime. It’s go time. With back-to-school season in full swing, every day counts.
But as the first day of class creeps closer on the calendar, customers tend to go into panic mode. This means ecommerce retailers must act as a calm presence in the sea of tedious to-do lists by creating a seamless shopping experience.
As any seasoned retail pro will tell you, while the market is unpredictable, adapting your strategies based on buying trends and patterns is key to building brand loyalty.
What trends can eCommerce retailers expect for the 2024 back-to-school season?
Now that the 2023 back-to-school season has come and gone, we have rich insights to inform this year’s anticipated spending habits. Capital One reported a slight dip in dollars spent, with the average spending per child nosediving by about 9.68% from 2022 – 2023.
Yet, the season overall brought in a jaw-dropping $135.5 billion in revenue. This tells us that the appetite to spend is present. However, consumers may be more cost-conscious in 2024, meaning retailers must be competitive with their discounts.
While it’s always a bit blurry on when the 2024 back-to-school season officially kicks off, The National Retail Foundation notes that as of early July, nearly 55% of back-to-school and college consumers have already started crossing off key items on their shopping list thanks to early deals on Amazon Prime Day.
While these early birds get praise for being proactive, their shopping isn’t finalized yet. With budgets top of mind, consumers will likely wait for prices to drop around upcoming holidays like Labor Day, stretching the season into early September.
With the back-to-school season continuing to expand, there’s plenty of time for brands to draw more crowds in with digital deals.
Why does back-to-school matter to ecommerce brands?
While the winter holidays hold the #1 spot for retailers to shine, back-to-school season is a close second.
This year, families are projected to spend $39 billion on back-to-school supplies, and $87 billion on back-to-college supplies, which includes staple categories such as apparel, and big-ticket items like electronics and dorm room furnishings. Safe to say bean bag chairs can be a costly culprit.
Given our growing technology touchpoints, it’s no surprise that 56% of consumers will turn to their smartphones and laptops to shop, and 41% plan to split their purchases between in-person and online retailers.
For ecommerce brands, this is good news. And, adds some healthy pressure.
The competition will be fierce, but the back-to-school season is an exciting time to attract new audiences, strengthen connections with your existing customer base, and maintain lasting retention throughout the year. While product preferences and benefits are important, a simple online shopping experience and a smooth fulfillment process are becoming leading factors in most purchase decisions.
So, how can brands make that happen? Below, we explore how to create a winning ecommerce experience for the back-to-school season, and beyond.
5 ways to increase sales this back-to-school season
1. Start planning and forecasting demand ASAP
As the saying goes, success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. And preparation comes down to communication.
To prepare for higher demand, your marketing and fulfillment teams must work in lockstep.
First, tap your marketing experts to understand your audience’s behaviors based on past and present patterns. Determine which products drive the most traffic to the site, and which make it to the online shopping cart.
From there, ensure your fulfillment team is working in tandem to meet demand, quickly fill orders, and alert the team promptly for low-stock items. This avoids frustrating stockouts, which will often lead customers to competing retailers.
As noted above, some shoppers will be ahead of the game, and some will be fashionably late to the party because they are waiting for the best deals, or are unsure what supplies are needed.
Moral of the story – be there when your customers are ready to buy.
2. Optimize your site and socials
Buying power has always been figuratively in customers’ hands, but now it’s literally.
Shopify reports that mobile commerce volume is anticipated to hit $710.4 billion by 2025, and 76% of adults have used their smartphone to make a purchase.
With the rise of integrated shopping experiences such as TikTok Shop and Instagram Ads, social commerce is an emerging force too, as it’s predicted to reach $80 billion by 2025.
The average daily screen time spent on social media is now up to 2 and a half hours, which means more moments to command attention and be responsive to customer questions in DMs and comments.
The browsing process should feel effortless, accessible, and consistent across all channels. To effectively promote your products, include eye-catching images, clear and concise descriptions, and transparent shipping speeds.
As consumers cross the virtual finish line, mobile-friendly checkout flows are key. Avoid extra steps, and integrate easily clickable payment options such as Apple Pay.
3. Leverage fulfillment marketing to enhance the post-purchase experience
After a purchase, the anticipation begins. The only time customers are guaranteed to interact with your brand next is the unboxing experience. Make it memorable.
While a standard box and proper packaging will keep the product safe and secure, going the extra mile can go a long way.
Smart and stylish branded packaging reinforces your brand identity. Design your box with clever or informative marketing copy, or a slip in a discount flyer to entice the customer to purchase again.
And if the product doesn’t end up being a perfect match, which is particularly prevalent in apparel and footwear fulfillment, make it easy for self-service returns by including a shipping label, and step-by-step instructions on how to return or exchange for a different size.
Pro tip: Partner with a 3PL that has direct integrations to key returns players like Returnly or Loop.
4. Meet your customers where they are
While it will always be a bit of a mystery what precisely pushes a consumer to make a final purchase decision, the key is to be there when they do.
Creating an omnichannel experience can help you keep up with a buyer as they bounce from browsing in-store to scrolling on Instagram to propping up their iPad.
Integrate sales channels to know exactly what back-to-school products are peaking their interest, and where they are in their buying journey. This keeps your marketing messages personalized and on point, which reinforces engagement, and reduces the risk of abandoned online carts.
5. Don’t forget about the back-to-college audience
This year, college students and their families are expected to spend an average of $1,364.75 on items to put their best foot forward for the semester. This includes bedding, books, and electronics. And let’s not forget about impressing new roommates with your sense of style.
Given the decade we’re in, the back-to-college market is all about Gen Z.
In line with our previous advice, meet them where they are. That means pushing marketing efforts on social media, where 35% of back-to-school consumers are finding the best deals. If possible, test out an influencer marketing strategy, as Gen Z purchasers are more likely to buy from familiar faces they trust.
And the one thing that every back-to-school or back-to-college consumer has in common? A budget.
Offering flexible buy now, pay later (BNPL) options at the checkout is greatly appreciated, as 20% of shoppers report that they will lean toward this wallet-friendly option. That’s why eCommerce brands continue to partner with sites such as Klarna and Afterpay.
Ultimately, getting into Gen Z’s good graces will take thoughtful social media marketing coupled with flexible payment options.
How to ensure you’re ready to meet demand
Now that you have your sales strategies in check, keeping up with demand will be the next hurdle. Here’s how to do it.
Work on your demand forecasting
If you have the data handy, check out your company’s historical sales data from last year’s back-to-school promotions to anticipate incoming demand. Leave wiggle room depending on unprecedented trends, but the primary goal is to not drastically overstock or understock.
If you’re an apparel company, seasonality is key depending on the climate of the area you’re marketing in. Depending on current weather patterns, it may mean you should introduce inventory early, or hold back for a bit.
Bottom line, your marketing strategy may need a few tweaks if you’re trying to push coats while steamy summer temperatures are lingering.
For a roadmap, look at your neighbor. Figure out when your top competitor’s promotions start, and decide if it’s more strategic to follow their lead or take a pause. If you need a direct example, look at the impending pumpkin spice latte battle between rivals Starbucks and Dunkin’.
If you’re up against competitors with a larger market share, try not to overlap direct promotions unless yours is drastically different.
Invest in real-time inventory and order tracking
The fastest way to lose a customer is by lacking transparency throughout any stage of the buying process, but especially after an order has been placed. Don’t leave your customers in the dark during back-to-school season when they need the items on-time.
Nowadays, customers expect an immediate email that their order is confirmed, followed by real-time shipping updates. That’s why it’s important to invest in shipment visibility tools to reduce Where Is My Order (WISMO) requests, which may weigh heavily on your customer service team.
Additionally, you’ll need a reliable inventory tracking system to alert you on how much stock is left, and when your stock is too low. Taking this process off your plate by partnering with a trusted expert will give you more breathing room to do what you do best – grow your business
Partner with a 3PL
To achieve sustainable growth, outsourcing is necessary.
Teaming up with the right third-party logistics (3PL) partner can be a huge help, as these experts streamline tedious ecommerce retail fulfillment processes, all of which are vital for a successful back-to-school season.
Plus, reliable 3PLs will enable access to a full suite of value-added services like kitting/bundling projects, thank-you notes, marketing, inserts, branded packaging, and more to create a personalized back-to-school shopping experience.
At ShippingTree, we offer deep supply chain expertise, value-added services (VAS), and strong relationships with shipping carriers. We also handle the ins and outs of EDI and ERPs, subscription payment platforms, return services, shopping cart platforms, and marketplaces.
Essentially, we cover logistics so you can think long-term.
ShippingTree: Your one-stop-shop for seamless back-to-school order fulfillment
If you’re nodding along, here’s why our customers lean on us for this busy time of year:
- Real-time inventory management, so stock levels are never a question mark.
- Precise order management, because attention to detail is better than ambiguity.
- Fast, flexible, and efficient shipping options thanks to our nationwide carrier relationships.
- A personalized, digitized status snapshot, brought to you by our easy-to-navigate ShippingTree dashboard app.
- Fully customizable fulfillment that includes VAS kitting and bundling services.
Ace back-to-school season
Ready to roll up your sleeves to rule back-to-school season? As the second-biggest selling season on the calendar, this is a highly profitable time for eCommerce merchants.
While every eCommerce brand’s fulfillment strategy will look different, it’s critical to keep the customer at the center of all your decisions. And what everyone is looking for is ease and efficiency.
If you’d like a 3PL to give you a hand, we’re here to help you finish this season smiling, not stressed.
