Tips on boosting retail sales for back to school

According to Google Trends historical data, shopping for back to school kicks off early in July each year. As a retailer, it is important not to miss out on seasonal opportunities; as we discussed in our previous blog ‘Why should retailers use seasonal events to increase footfall and profit’.

So what are our top digital tips to stand out from the crowd this 'Back to School' season? Read on to learn more.

1. Showcase your back to school range – everywhere!

Ensure your back to school range is in the spotlight, both in-store and online. If shoppers can’t see it, then they can’t want it! Maximise your space in-store with eye-catching display solutions which complement your products, then utilise your online platforms to shout about the products you have, and why they are perfect for your customers.

> Gear up your website for Back to School

Setting up a dedicated “Back to School” section on your website is a great way to showcase all of your “Back to School” stock and make shopping on your site easier. Bolster your ranking in google by including clear product titles, informative descriptions, and remember imagery is key – with video being the bonus level! According to Marketing Profs, shoppers are 144% more likely to add a product to their basket if they have watched the product video than if they haven’t.

> Shout about your offering on social media

Even if you don’t have a website, you can get your message out there with social media. Use high-quality imagery to show the great products you have to offer and use free tools such as Canva to customise imagery to your own requirements.

Creating a Facebook Shop on your Business Page allows you to either sell directly via the platform or direct shoppers to your website. You can then share your products as content onto your Facebook page.

Remember not to overlook other social media platforms! Check what your competitors are doing on which social media channels, or just try them all for yourself to find the best fit for you. And this doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task, utilise a free social media scheduling account to posts in advance. 

Bricks & Mortar Store Raise awareness around your social media pages in-store with a Smiirl counter. This real-life counter ticks over, in real-time, when someone “Likes” your page! Check it out here.

2. Create a buzz, in-store, online, or both!

A fun and generally easy way to create buzz around your back-to-school stock in-store and online is to run a giveaway. If you have a bricks-and-mortar shop, invite all customers and visitors to enter your giveaway by filling in a form. Alternatively, you could run the giveaway on Facebook (for example) and tell your customers to head on over to your Facebook page to “Like” the giveaway to enter.

Running a giveaway in the run-up to Back to School would be a great way to promote your school supplies and drive booth footfall in-store, and online. Then once you have drawn the winner, invite them to collect their prize in-store, or ask them for a photo with their prize to show the authenticity of your giveaway; this makes for a really lovely post on social media, or on the news page of your website!

*Bonus Tip!* If sharing on Facebook, remember to try posting your competition in Competition Facebook Groups, or groups dedicated to “Compers”. These are groups created specifically for people who love entering competitions, and this will help spread the news of your wonderful giveaway far and wide. If you only want local residents to enter; remember to include that in your terms and conditions!

3. Collaborate with local YouTubers and bloggers

Did you know? 71% of shoppers are more likely to purchase based on social media referrals? With an influx of child YouTubers and parent blogs, there has never been a better time to collaborate with local talent and grow authentic reviews as well as your fan base by using influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing has been around for years, but with 39% of marketers increasing their budgets on this sector in 2018 and the global value of influencer marketing set to hit $2.38 billion by the end of 2019, it is something that should not be overlooked.

Both retailers and influencers can benefit greatly from collaborating; the retailer can help showcase the products they sell and help build authenticity in their brand. On top of this, the YouTuber blogger can receive free products to review, thus, in turn, giving them content to post on their channels.

> How do I find local YouTubers & bloggers?

Talk to your customers, put your feelers out in the local community, and even put out requests on social media. Ask children of your friends and family; who are their favourite YouTubers? Are any of their friends YouTubers or do any of your friends know any parent bloggers?

Remember you can pick and choose who you want to take part with; ask for links to their blogs and videos to see if their style of content is a good fit for both your brand and the YouTuber’s brand.