3 Expert Tips to Bring Value to your Shoppers this Back to School Season

Different seasons bring unique sales opportunities to shopping centers, but Back to School season is, perhaps, one of the only times where the shopper has to buy something. Thinking about Christmas, or Summer, most purchases are often optional. But, during Back to School season, shoppers have to get ready for the upcoming year and buy products, whether it is for their kids, or for themselves.

Here are three things to keep in mind to make this Back to School season a great business opportunity for your shopping center.

1. Promotions! Help shoppers purchase quality products at accessible prices. This season can require shoppers to buy a lot, but that doesn’t mean people are careless about what they are purchasing. Getting back to school is busy and parents want to make sure they are making wise spending decisions. 

Having regular and impactful promotions at your shopping center can help to incentivize shoppers to return and buy more. For example: Get 25% off your next purchase, or buy one get one free or half the price.

2. Get to know your shoppers and understand their purchasing decisions.  There are many reasons why a shopper may feel they need to buy a specific product, and understanding that reasoning is helpful to target your sales strategy to the right people, at the right time and place.

Most purchases fall into two categories: utility and aspiration. Products that are strictly bought to serve a purpose like pencils, notebooks, winter jackets, sunscreen, and many others are in the utility category and are typically items a shopper will prioritize. Products like clothes and beauty products are considered an aspirational purchase and typically a nice to have item. Understanding which category certain items and retailers fall into can help to target your marketing efforts and achieve the best results.

3. Think like a kid! Remember your experiences with the Back to School season. The person paying for an item is not always the only one influencing the purchase decision. Target your Back to School campaigns to children, teachers and parents, keeping in mind trends, colours and fun marketing language to entice children, teachers and parents alike.

Keep in mind the many opportunities your shopping center has by thinking beyond just the ‘Kids-in-school’ experience, and see the whole season (including the shopping itself) as an opportunity to have several touch points with a shopper during a visit to your shopping center. Offer discounts to eat at food retailers in between visits to multiple stores, teachers perks if they buy their back to school materials at retailers where their students are buying as well… there are lots of the small actions you can do to add extra value for your shoppers during this busy (sometimes stressful) season.