2 Ways To Advertise Back-To-School Deals (And Why Your Business Should Start Early)

As summer comes to an end, the fall season is quickly approaching, which means parents have already started shopping for their children's list of required school supplies that seems to grow with each passing year. If your store carries any back-to-school related items, it's more important than ever to advertise deals early enough in the summer to allow parents ample time to get to the store.

A new survey from consulting firm Deloitte reveals that retailers that wait too long to start advertising their back-to-school promotions may be losing out on more summer sales. About 60% of back-to-school shoppers spend an average of $532 when shopping before August. This is 16% greater than the rest of the shoppers who don't begin shopping until August or early September.

"As a result of different school start dates across the country, shopping trends also vary greatly by regional location with the highest average spent $554 (44 percent) in the South region this back-to-school season," the report said.

How can you use this data in conjunction with other retail techniques to optimize your back-to school sales strategy and maximize profits? Here are two simple ways.

Free Standing Signs
Large and free standing signs are a great way to advertise your business' back-to-school deals. They also tend to be more affordable because unlike other retail displays and signs, they don't require sign display stands to hold them up. Keep in mind that consumers are exposed to an average of 3,000 ads and promotional messages every day, so the key element in maximizing the effectiveness of your free standing signs is to place them at eye level with readable fonts and colors. And as the data shows, the earlier in June or July you can display them, the better.

Undecided Consumers
Rod Sides, vice chairman of Deloitte's retail practice, says that undecided customers are a largely untapped market during the back-to-school shopping season. 

"They collectively represent nearly $5.4 billion this back-to-school shopping season," he said in a statement, adding that undecided consumers often don't know where they are going to purchase something until the last minute.

Use this statistic to your advantage by adding visual appeal to your storefront as a whole. Consumers love having the ability to digitally interact with the brands they like, and digital convenience is also a major selling point. Consider investing in an online ordering system that allows shoppers to use digital coupons and promos.

Ultimately, the back-to-school shopping season is one of the busiest times of year for consumers and retailers alike, and rethinking your sales strategy may easily bring in unexpected profits. For more information about store display ideas, contact The Global Display Solution.