Back-to-School Marketing: 5 Creative Ideas to Drive Sales

It may still feel like summer, but for shoppers, back-to-school is already in motion. For retailers, this isn’t just about backpacks and binders—it’s a key window to acquire new customers, test strategies, and fine-tune campaigns before the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush.

In this blog, you’ll discover five high-impact tactics to drive engagement, increase sales, and build loyalty during back-to-school and beyond.

1. Watch the Trends That Are Shaping Shopper Behavior

Consumer behavior is shifting, and marketers need to stay ahead of how back-to-school spending is evolving in the US and UK.

US outlook: Growth is slowing. K–12 spending is expected to hit $49.91B, with college sales at $34.60B. With less overall spend, brands need to deliver more value in every interaction.

UK outlook: Consumer confidence is improving slightly, but inflation and global uncertainty are keeping shoppers cautious. Messaging that acknowledges this mindset—and delivers clear value—will resonate most.

Smart shopping habits: Shoppers are spreading out purchases, waiting for sales, and trading down on brands. Highlight savings early and often, lean into loyalty benefits, and emphasize value across channels.

Parents are still willing to splurge: 62% of parents say their kids influence their spending, and 57% say they’ll splurge on first-day outfits. Focus on key categories like clothing and accessories, and offer flexible payment options like buy-now-pay-later.

eCommerce continues to rise: More shoppers are turning online for school essentials. Ensure your digital experience is mobile-optimized, easy to navigate, and delivers seamless promotions.

2. Build a Smooth Omnichannel Experience

In-store shopping still plays a role, but digital is driving growth. In fact, eCommerce will drive more than 80% of YOY back-to-school growth in the US—and 70% of shoppers plan to shop both online and in-store.

Take The Very Group, for example. Their marketing team extended email creative into SMS, using behavioral data to showcase the most-viewed products and layering on social proof once engagement passed a certain threshold to create FOMO.

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A true omnichannel experience goes beyond mobile. Toolstation brought this to life by adding local maps and real-time inventory based on each customer’s nearest store. This made it easy for shoppers to find what they needed and encouraged in-store pickup, creating a connected digital-to-physical journey that drove engagement.

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3. Use Polls to Gather Zero-Party Data

Learning about your audience is key—and now’s the time to collect data you can use for future personalization (hello, holiday promotions).

‍Staples Canada didn't just rely on local maps; they also gathered valuable zero-party data to understand their customers better. By using polls to learn about customers' job roles, Staples Canada crafted relevant, targeted communications. This personalized touch not only grabs attention but also builds stronger customer relationships. Automating follow-up messages based on poll responses makes tailored communication easy and efficient, ensuring ongoing, meaningful engagement.

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4. Deliver Top Deals and Exclusive Offers in Real-Time

With price sensitivity on the rise, now is the perfect time for marketers to reel them in with enticing savings. Start leveraging automation by replicating sale badges from your website in email product grids. This strategy not only highlights discounted items but also maintains a cohesive experience across all channels.

‍Lenovo North America used a highly customized Doorbusters API app to power upcoming product drops. This app features logic to dynamically populate accurate pricing for 10 different routes, based on various customer criteria. It highlights price savings in both dollar and percentage amounts, and provides details such as product name, brand name, images, and descriptions.

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5. Automate Product Grids to Keep Content Fresh

‍In the bustling back-to-school season, keeping email content fresh and engaging is paramount. By highlighting season-specific styles, new arrivals, and best sellers, marketers can capture shoppers' attention and boost sales.

Tuckernuck excels at this with dynamic product modules that automatically adjust background colors, clothing collections, and product types. This automation tactic not only keeps their content vibrant but also slashes production time by 20%. With these streamlined processes, Tuckernuck can focus more on creative strategies for their future marketing campaigns.

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As the back-to-school season kicks in, it’s time for retailers to sharpen their pencils and get creative. Now’s the time to test and refine your personalization and automation strategies before the peak season. Focus on adding value to your communications to build brand-consumer trust and keep customers returning. 

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