It may feel like summer out, but moms know that’s just the start of the back-to-school sales. Backpacks and binders may be on the list already, but offering promotional notepads and pens can draw in more customers by offering the tools they need already to get kids ready for the fall.
“From last year’s holiday shopping season through the middle of 2012, we have seen consumers starting to shop earlier surrounding major shopping seasons and holidays,” said PriceGrabber’s general manager, Graham Jones. The retail data collection company recently released a study showing forecasted behaviors for this summer’s customer spending patterns. “We expect this trend to continue through the back-to-school season.”
Much of the time these school shopping lists include things that businesses can easily give away as promo items, drawing a much bigger share of spent dollars. Attracting more revenue is key right now, especially with consumer confidence somewhat on the decline.
According to the Washington Times, the Consumer Conference Board recently published their findings on spending and sentiments among American shoppers to determine their most likely habits in the coming months. The review found the decline in economic confidence is continuing since February, meaning less aggressive businesses could lose out at the register.
“Consumers were somewhat more positive about current conditions but slightly more pessimistic about the short-term outlook,” said the Board’s director Lynn Franco in an interview with the Times. “If this trend continues, spending may be restrained in the short-term.”
Offering supplies that are likely to already show up as essential to shoppers as promo giveaways will go a long way in pulling more people to your business. Others take the next step in advertising for back-to-school sales, putting their logos and sales offers right on the sides of bags or other items that can find use after the shopping season is over.
Since the Conference Board projects that sales right now are likely to be solid with future prospects less reassuring, owners and marketing managers need to get their heads together now with sound promotional notepad and related giveaways that appeal directly to the clientele most likely to be frequenting stores in the coming weeks.