Now that the summer is over and fall is upon us, it’s time for savvy marketers to reflect on what we can learn from this year’s back to school shopping season. Read on below to find out what you need to know about back to school shopping trends from this year, as recommended by Google!
Customers shopped earlier and faster
One of the biggest changes in this year’s back to school shopping climate was that customers were beginning their back to school shopping earlier and were making their purchases faster. Searches for back to school queries began 1 week earlier than last year, and 3 weeks earlier than 2013. Similarly, 80% of shoppers tried to finish their back to school shopping in 2 weeks or less. To catch your customers when they’re trying to buy for next year, you’ll want to start advertising early, especially online.
Customers shopped more on mobile
The convenience of being able to shop on phones throughout our busy days has given a rise to back to school shopping on mobile. Last year we saw 40% of back to school shopping happening on mobile, while this year it was already seeing over 50%. Similarly, more than 50% of back to school shoppers used mobile to check prices, check inventory, or get directions to physical stores. If you want to maximize your back to school sales for the following year, make sure you’re advertising on mobile and that your site is mobile-friendly to catch customers on-the-go.
Customers wanted to shop close
During the back to school shopping season, searches for “shoe stores near me” peaked in August for the last 2 years in a row, and have more than doubled YOY. At the same time, searches for “shoe store locations” have declined. This shows that customers want to shop local, and care less about specific stores or brands, and more about what’s convenient for them. You’ll want to make sure that in the coming year, you have advertising in place that’s targeting locations near your store, if you’re a brick and mortar retailer as well.
While the specifics for your industry may differ, we’d recommend following these marketing tips to boost your back to school sales next year!
