Marketers are doubling down on value in their back-to-school promotions for the 2022 school year.
Although many brands known for going big on back-to-school marketing have held the line or even pulled back on email campaign volume, they’re ratcheting up the percentage of email campaigns that include promotions, according to MailCharts data.
Two examples:
- Target nearly doubled its promotion rate year over year. In 2021, 48 percent of campaigns included discounts and other offers in Q3, the hottest business quarter for back-to-school shopping. This year, 91.7 percent of email campaigns had discounts.
- GAP increased its promotional rate 15.3 percent, from 82.17 percent in Q3 2021 to 94.7 percent in 2022.
Shoppers are browsing and buying earlier, the National Retail Federation reported, with 56 percent saying in a survey that they started in early July. That’s up from 51 percent from the same time in 2021 and 44 percent in 2019. That was the last year before the pandemic closed classrooms or converted them into hybrids.
MailCharts data reveals three big email trends for back-to-school 2022:
- Brands answer parents’ search for value with discounts
Shoppers are saying loud and clear that they’re worried about school supply costs. But 38 percent of survey participants told the NRF they would cut back other spending to cover school expenses. We discovered dozens of emails that featured promotions front and center so shoppers could see the value.
Email tip: Keep the deals coming. Labor Day isn’t the end of the shopping season. A sizable number of shoppers will still prowl for deals after school starts, either to cover gaps or hunt for end-of-season deals. Check out this late September campaign from Nordstrom.
- Back-to-school bundles are big
Retail experts are seeing brands combine related back-to-school items into discounted bundles to help bargain-hunters and time-pressed shoppers. Pottery Barn Kids uses new merch, but you can add discounted or discontinued items to clear them out of inventory.
- “B2C” means Back to Campus too
College spending is rising, too. Think big, like storage containers, room decor design, and essentials for apartment living. What do you sell that a college student could take back to a dorm room, campus apartment, or ye old student slum? Purple created a student-focused “sleep week” campaign and giveaway for its mattresses and other sleep products.
Email tip: Find more strategies and email examples on our Back to School page. You’ll find inspiration to come up with creative campaigns that connect with parents and students from pre-K to post-grad.
Want more in-depth back-to-school data, trends, insights and email examples? Start your free MailCharts account today!
