It’s that time of year when kids are crushed and parents rejoice. The summer is winding down to an end and kids are preparing to catch the school bus for the 2016-2017 school year. This year, as with past years, comes the tradition of back to school shopping, and parents prep their kids for school with shopping trips for school supplies, clothing, and the like. Back to school is a huge period for retailers and becomes a big focus on their retail calendars from mid-July and runs through mid-September.
As we’ve seen a change in shopping habits over time, the same can be said for this critical period for retailers. As the latter of Generation X and Millennials are the generations most familiar with social media and shopping online, retailers must find their target audiences on the platforms they are using and shopping from the most.
The summer of 2016 has already seen a steady climb on those parents shopping from social platforms. Currently, the most popular platform for back to school shopping is Pinterest. According to Crowdtap, “One-in-four U.S. adults say they will utilize Pinterest for back to school shopping planning.” Pinterest is the perfect tool for parents to organize shopping lists for multiple children in one location. Even if families are planning on hitting a brick and mortar location for school shopping, retailers can get a head start by reaching families in their planning stages on social media sites.
Most families in the planning stages are utilizing Pinterest to organize their lists, they are searching for lunch menu ideas for their children, and most importantly searching for deals from their favorite brands online. The majority of Pinterest users are women, so marketers who are utilizing the platform are reaching Moms, who are usually in charge of the household budget and expenses for the family. However, Pinterest isn’t the only place marketers can reach Mom and Dad for back to school ideas.
Facebook still reigns supreme for social platforms, especially for Generation X and Millennials alike. Because so many look to Facebook to find out brand or business information, it’s imperative to have a presence on this platform and make sure all your information is up-to-date, such as store hours, phone number, and store locations. Again, reaching parents in their planning stages by displaying back to school content, specials, and favorite back to school items.
The last focus for back to school shopping for brands and businesses has to be the kids. The kids, who are dubbed as Generation Z and tug on their parents heartstrings for certain must have back to school items. These kids are accustomed to the digital age and when they reach middle school/high school age are most likely to be found on Instagram and Snapchat. Brands can utilize these two channels for a different back to school message to reach Generation Z.
If you haven’t yet figured out your back to school strategy, there’s still time! Reach out to the team at The Modern Connection for a free consultation.
