The monthly LinkShare affiliate newsletter has some useful statistics on back-to-school shopping.
- August 1 is when 40% of US consumers said they start back-to-school shopping, while 56% said they start between August 1 and September 1.*
- Back-to-school shopping is growing online. In 2006, more than 50% of moms surveyed said that they planed to shop online. **
- Clothing and accessories account for the biggest back-to-school spending, an estimated $7.6 billion was spent in 2006, followed by electronics and computer equipment at $3.8 billion, shoes at $3.3 billion, and school supplies at $2.9 billion.***
* NPD Group, July 2006
** PersonalShopper.com survey by MedeliaMonitor
*** BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation, July 2006
The July 30 edition of the LinkShare Deal Dispatcher will feature a special section on back-to-school promotions.
{ 5 comments }
Hey Shawn
Well, in my experience it was mostly travel related, but I have two contacts who work for a very large retailer of adult related products. Anyways, these companies have created smaller companies to serve specific niches such as alternative lifestyles and fetishes. This allows the company to distance their name brand from some of the more extreme and possibly less socially acceptable lifestyles, while still serving that market specifically.
They have lists of customers that are segmented by sexual preference, fetishes, and specific alternative lifestyles choices. So with that said, I recently had a conversation with a merch coordinator responsible for one of these smaller branches targeted primarily to the homosexual male, and he told me that August was second only to Christmas for merchandise sales. Its very interesting to think of a Merchandising Team working on the best way to assort their website and catalog with those products, but all joking aside, they are very sophisticated and through data mining have determined such things as flavored lubes sell better during christmas, and are most successful when positioned as add-ons, while items like crotchless speedos are popular in the summer months. Another fascinating trend has to do with the sales of the rubber phallic products (I’m trying to keep it clean here), during the holiday months, the novelty types of these items are the best sellers, but in the summer months the more life like products keep the most action such as the ones that are modeled after a specific adult movie star. In the summer months, specifically August, it is all the buyers can do to remain stocked in the life like models. So they have to meet weekly to make sure that they will not have to put anything on backorder, because if they miss their August resort window, the orders will most likely be canceled. They take their business very seriously and the margins are ridiculous.
Just thought I would provide an interesting perspective.
Cowls…
Hi Shawn,
First time poster, long time reader. After reading Cowls post, I thought I might have some insight on the matter. I was the Marketing Director for a Broadway Theater company some years back. And we would target our offers and promotions to a wide sprectrum of demographics and interest. The Gay and Lesbian auidence was very recieving of the said offers, and usually came back for more. We also had great success with the retired crowd, and young school age children.
In the end, you should consider segmenting your marketing creative to its intended audience. I know with the G&L crowd, it gave us the best bang for the buck.
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Cowls -
Are those efforts all in the travel vertical, or have you found that other products sell well?
Maybe books and electronics for the vacations?
Wow a huge market for back to school, total volume a whooping amount of $17.6 Billion in 2006.
Vijay
Shawn
Great points!
Also, dont forget about American subclultures that often fill a niche and may have more disposable income than other groups. I do a ton of marketing for several gay and alternative lifestyle businesses and August is one of their busiest months as well. Primarily because of large groups heading to the Carribean and other locations for vacationing and other activities.
Cowls Lannish
South Beach, FL
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