Studies: How to make the most of BTS, holiday campaigns

School may have just released for the summer for most US families, but for brands the back to school season is already here. According to new data out from PM Digital now is the time to engage back to school shoppers - and they're highlighting some trends that may help retailers achieve their goals.

by Kristina Knight

"We are not surprised to see the season accelerating. With such a challenging 1st quarter across retail and the BTS market being second only to Holiday for many retailers, it's a chance to capture some additional demand growth," said Chris Paradysz, co-founder and co-CEO of Paradysz and PM Digital. Especially through mobile and social, there's a chance for brands to really stand out and get consumers to take notice."

The PM Digital report indicates 1 in 5 back to school dollars will be spent on college-bound students, and that 37% of that spend will be taken in online venues. Families with college-bound students spend an average of $1100 between clothing, electronics and supplies.

Some interesting trends in the report include:

• In 2013 Amazon was the top paid search advertiser
• Retailer hashtags like Staples #stapleshasit are expected to push spending
• Look for Pinterest promoted pin options to pull in more ad dollars
• More than one-third of K-12 and college families spend their money online

On the subject of shopping seasons, Campaigner data may push more brands to put more ad dollars into email this holiday season. According to their data email campaigns pushed 22% more mobile device purchases between 2012 and 2013. The data also indicates poorly targeted email campaigns can do a lot to disengage consumers.

"Retailers have a significant opportunity to embrace the growing market for mobile shoppers this holiday season," said EJ McGowan, general manager, Campaigner. "The results from our 2014 Mobile Trends Survey indicated that while consumers are more interactive with mobile content and purchasing, marketers are still providing a lackluster mobile experience. In particular, the survey revealed that some consumers feel content is not personalized, underscoring the importance of relevant content to increase sales and effectively engage with consumers."

Some interesting takeaways from the Campaigner report include:

• 45% of consumers open mobile emails because of 'compelling' text/graphics
• 42% real promotional emails via mobile based on 'knowing' the sender/retailer
• 21% say they read promotional emails because of deals/promotions

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: 2014 holiday advertising, advertising, back to school, Campaigner, ecommerce, PMDigital