Back to School Heats up in August

Back-to-School spend is expected to surpass $27.6B this year, with $15.1B of spend going towards clothing and accessories.* 

While BTS shoppers plan to spend over twice as much in-store than online, online continues to be an important touchpoint in the customer journey; in fact, 56% of customers will research BTS products online before purchasing in-store. And of those buying online, shoppers are more likely to turn to mobile to search for sales and compare prices, and to desktop to complete their purchases.

If you think you're too late to capitalize on BTS, think again. August is a crucial month for this season, and 53% of BTS shoppers start purchasing items three weeks to one month before the school year starts.** Here's what our internal data shows when looking back on last year's BTS performance:

• Total media spend increased 8.7% from July to August, which contributed to a 5.7% increase in total sales volume
• August brought in 19.3% more revenue than July, with increases to both click and view revenue
• Average order value increased 12.8% in August, indicating that shoppers are spending more with each purchase as the school year nears
• Native saw a 26.3% uptick in total sales last August, resulting in a 43.2% increase in total revenue generated from this channel

A holistic advertising strategy that spans across both online and in-store will help you stay ahead of the competition this shopping season and the next. Sociomantic's digital media expertise combined with our parent company dunnhumby's leading customer data science capabilities can deliver personalized customer experiences that drive stronger reach and profits in-store, online and offline. 

Reach out anytime to learn more.