Going back to school marks a fresh start for kids of all ages, kindergarten to college. New notebooks, clothes, backpacks and various other school essentials need to be bought and tons of tiny decisions, such as Garfield vs. Hannah Montana folders, need to be made. (This year I’m betting it’s Twilight-themed supplies that fly off the shelves.)
While back-to-school shopping is generally thought of as a traditional shopping activity, i.e. at your local Wal-Mart rather than online, there is opportunity for online advertisers as well to take advantage of the increased consumer demand that the return of classes creates.
What are some ways for advertisers to capture some of this increased traffic for themselves?
To start with, be there! Anticipate when events that affect shoppers’ behavior are approaching and make sure you’re present. Bid on the appropriate keywords and start bidding on them early in a chance to beat out competitors.
Tailor your messaging: You might have clothes for all ages or supplies suited for the office, as well as the class room, but the majority of consumers interested in back-to-school shopping are kids, teens or their parents. So tailor your messaging to them. Also, take advantage of dynamic keyword insertion in your headlines and ad copy.
Mention specific promotions in your ads: Don’t expect shoppers to click on your ad and a few pages of your site before discovering what specials you’re running. Tell them right away. Deals like free shipping or a percentage off are especially enticing to online shoppers. According to a study conducted by comScore, 43% of shoppers who abandon their online shopping costs, do so because they don’t want to pay shipping, so seeing a free shipping offer might entice them to shop with you rather than a competitor. Another survey found that 70% of the people questioned say discounts of 30% or higher would make them more likely to buy. So mention them in your copy!
What advertisers have been taking advantage of the back-to-school opportunities through search this year? How have they been going about it?
A Google search on “back to school shopping” yielded results for a variety of advertisers. In this particular search, Apple and Payless had the only two ads that, not only incorporated back-to-school messaging into their creative, but mentioned specific back-to-school promotions as well.
Bing.com has been running a program, called Bing Cashback, which allows shoppers to receive cash-back rewards from a variety of retailers. In the month of August, Bing has been offering back-to-school double savings days, where shoppers can save double the amount they would normally.
Free shipping offers, online coupons and mobile campaigns are just some of the other ways retailers are trying to reach back-to-school shoppers. If you didn’t take advantage of the increased opportunities back-to-school brings, keep them in mind for the fall and winter holidays!
