AUSTIN, Texas, July 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- This week,
Amazon Prime Day kicked off the back-to-school shopping season, a
three-month period that has become the longest shopping season in
the United States. RetailMeNot,
Inc. and Kelton Global surveyed retail marketers and consumers
while analyzing internal traffic and engagement data on the
back-to-school shopping season, and today announces the release of
the 2018 Back-to-School Insights Guide.
View RetailMeNot's 2018 Back-to-School
Insights Guide.
Survey results indicate retailers are optimistic about the
back-to-school shopping season, and they're increasing budgets to
offer more and in some cases deeper, discounts for consumers in
2018. In fact:
- 3 in 4 retailers (76%) are expected to increase marketing
spend.
- 79% of retailers will offer more back-to-school discounts.
- 75% of retailers plan to offer deeper discounts for
consumers.
"The back-to-school shopping season, due to both its length and
varied product assortment, is increasingly important to the retail
industry," said Marissa Tarleton,
chief marketing officer, RetailMeNot, Inc. "By thinking
strategically about promotions during this long season and
experimenting with new marketing tactics, retailers have the
ability to leverage data and insights to position themselves for
success during this critical time of year."
Knowing the importance of this time of year, 75% of retailers
are planning to start their back-to-school marketing efforts
earlier in 2018, and 84% of retailers surveyed believe
back-to-school shopping began on or before Amazon Prime Day this
week.
Consumers Plan to Spend More, With Savings Top of
Mind
Expected consumer spend is up across all
back-to-school categories, with shoppers indicating increases in
planned purchases of clothing, electronics and shoes.
While the back-to-school shopping season spans from July to
September, 60% of parents prefer to purchase all of their
back-to-school items in three shopping trips or less. Based on
RetailMeNot shopper traffic and engagement data, retailers should
focus their promotional efforts around Prime Day and the week
following, the first weekend in August and Labor Day weekend to
match anticipated consumer demand.
More than ever, parents are looking for ways to save on
back-to-school clothing and supplies. Among those surveyed:
- 67% of shoppers say they look for more savings during this
season than they do during other times of the year — up from only
36% who said the same in 2017.
- 65% agree that final price is the biggest determining factor in
what they buy for their children during back-to-school.
Back-to-School Still Happens
In-Store
Sixty percent of retailers are focused on
in-store shoppers with good reason, as nearly all parents (96%)
will head to a brick-and-mortar store at least once while
back-to-school shopping. In fact, among those heading to a store,
58% will complete the majority of their shopping there.
Because retailers continue to be more promotional and strategic
with how they leverage their physical stores, shoppers can expect a
seamless, innovative experience in stores this season.
- More than half of retailers (52%) said they're planning special
in-store events, such as celebrities or influencers visiting their
stores.
- 39% plan to offer food and drink to consumers while they shop
in their stores.
- 47% of retailers are planning new collaborations with other
brands.
Online shopping still matters, though, and 72% of parents
surveyed will shop online at least once during the back-to-school
season. Interestingly, during this long shopping spell, there are
savings to be found for everyone — not just parents and students.
More than half of shoppers (56%) plan to buy non-school-related
items while back-to-school shopping if they find a good deal.
For more data, download the full 2018 RetailMeNot Back to School
Insights Guide.
Methodology
A RetailMeNot, Inc. retailer survey was
conducted by Kelton Global between Friday,
May 4, 2018, and Thursday, May 10,
2018. During this time, 200 interviews were captured via a
15-minute online survey. Key groups of interest were examined in
this analysis, including senior managers/directors and higher and
retailers who have or have not partnered with RetailMeNot in the
past 12 months. Additionally, a RetailMeNot, Inc. consumer survey
was conducted by Kelton Global between Monday, May 7, 2018, and Friday, May 11, 2018. During this time, 1,005
interviews were conducted via a 10-minute online survey to parents
who will be back-to-school shopping for their children who are
under the age of 18.
Key time-frame data and insights are based on analysis of a
subset of the 500,000 offers from 50,000 retailers within our
internal data, including engagement insights from consumers who
engaged with these retailers on RetailMeNot's website and app
platforms between July and September
2017.
2018 Amazon Prime Day statistics are current as of July 18, 2018.
About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc.
(https://www.retailmenot.com/corp/) is a leading savings
destination connecting consumers with retailers, restaurants and
brands, both online and in-store. The company enables consumers
across the globe to find hundreds of thousands of offers to save
money while they shop or dine out. RetailMeNot, Inc. estimates that
$4.8 billion in retailer sales were
attributable to consumer transactions from paid digital offers in
its marketplace in 2017, more than $560
million of which were attributable to its in-store solution.
The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of websites and mobile applications
includes RetailMeNot.com in the United
States; RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; VoucherCodes.co.uk in the United Kingdom; ma-reduc.com and Poulpeo.com
in France; and GiftCardZen.com and
Deals2Buy.com in North America. As
wholly owned subsidiaries of Harland Clarke Holdings, RetailMeNot
and Valassis, a leader in intelligent media delivery, are
partnering to connect retailers and consumers through meaningful
digital, mobile and print promotions both online and in store.
Media Contacts:
Michelle Skupin
RetailMeNot, Inc.
mskupin@rmn.com
(808) 224-3215
Chelsie Baugh
RetailMeNot, Inc.
cbaugh@rmn.com
(512) 387-8378
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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.