Back To School Rush for Canadian Retailers

Cash in on Changing Seasons and the Back to School Rush

As retailers, we need to take advantage of opportunities every chance we get. This means exploiting the change of seasons and the change of mindsets in our customers.

At least once a month, you should be asking “What’s on my customer’s minds right now?” Right now, it’s back to school time for most Canadian families. With back to school in mind, take some time to think of what can your business do to tap into the existing mindset of your customers. Staples Business Depot probably does this better than any other business. Their “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” advertising(seen above) jingles that play on TV and on radio stations across the country are taping into what’s top of mind right now on all parent’s minds. This is clever marketing.

By using what’s seasonally topical and top of mind with your customers, you already have momentum going for you. You don’t have to change their mindset. They’re already there. All you have to do is to figure out how you can profit from their mindset by promoting more sales through your store.

Think creatively. Even if you don’t think of your store as one that would attract back to school crowds, it doesn’t mean you have to miss this opportunity. In the garden centre business, we approach the new season by promoting our fun events we have for the fall season, such as our large haunted village that we set up for fall and use to raise money for our local food banks. This attraction brings in large crowds of children and school groups.

There’s usually an angle you can play when it comes to the change in seasons and mindsets of your customers. Think about it!

~Andy

Good Reads:

1. A nice summary of articles regarding the back to school rush from the Globe and Mail
2. Research about back to school shopping from the US
3. How to Prepare for Seasonal Marketing
4. Seasonal Marketing and Timing New Product Introductions (PDF)
5. Five Ways to Succeed with a Seasonal Marketing Campaign for Your Small Business