Back-to-school season is quickly coming to an end — but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pack up quite yet. No matter the occasion or holiday, there’s always a group of last-minute shoppers that’s a bit behind the crowd.
With shoppers frantically trying to cross items off of their back-to-school lists, what can you do to make sure they give your store a visit?
The Power of Back-to-School Promotions
There’s nothing more enticing than a good deal — and with back-to-school shopping at large, this is more true than ever.
If you’re wondering what promotions you can offer to reel customers in, we’ve got you covered.
Storewide Back-to-School Sale
Promotions that apply to everything in your store are great for getting people in the door and moving inventory.
If you’re an office supplies store, for example, you can probably run with 10 to 20 percent off everything between specific dates.
If your small business doesn’t solely offer items that make sense for back-to-school shoppers, you may consider a flat discount on specific product categories.
BOGO School Supplies
Buy-one-get-one is always a great idea. You’ve likely used the BOGO idea in some form or fashion, but regardless of how common it is, it works.
Students who have a lot on their lists, and parents with more than one child to shop for, will be thrilled to take advantage of a BOGO promotion.
‘Buy three notebooks and get two free’ is a great example, as students usually need something to take notes in for each individual class they’re taking. Or if you realize you need to move more of your art supplies, something as simple as ‘Buy one pack of markers and get one free’ is extremely effective.
You can get creative here, but at the end of the day, your customers will love getting free items along with supplies they’d have to purchase no matter what.
Post-School Shopping Coupons
Coupons are great for both early and late shoppers alike, but offering a deal that customers can use later on is especially great for those running last-minute errands.
Why? If someone stops in your store to grab supplies before they or their kid has to start school, they’re likely scrambling. This means the customer is not taking the time to browse your store and check out everything you have to offer.
This is vital in developing brand loyalty among customers, so passing out future-use coupons to the people who are a bit behind will motivate them to come back in the future and take their time scoping things out.
Typically, future-use coupons will contain an offer plus a timeframe the deal can be redeemed in. For example, if you know business is slow in November, you can make the coupon usable sometime that month to drive traffic.
Managing Small Business Back-to-School Promotions
Looking for more school season inspiration? Check out our free resource, The Retailers’ Guide to Back-to-School Shopping!
No matter the promotions you choose to run for those last-minute back-to-school shoppers, you’ll need an efficient way to keep track of and redeem your special deals.
Promotions are much easier to manage with a powerful retail-specific point of sale solution. You want deals to be applied automatically at checkout rather than manually discounting items as part of a transaction. And in the back end, you want promotions to be clearly distinguishable in your sales reports.
Is this something your small business is missing out on? Give our software a spin, while our POS Nation product specialists answer all of your questions.
