Back to School Review
After most students spent the last year learning virtually, this year’s back-to-school season saw a boom. There was increased spending on clothing, school supplies, computers, athletic gear, and more. According to research from Deloitte, back-to-school spending reached its highest level in recent years, seeing $32.5 billion for K-12 students, averaging $612 per student. Back-to-school shopping happened earlier this year as well, spiking in July. This is important to keep in mind for next year as your brand prepares promotions, advertising, and stock for the back-to-school season.
COVID-19 proved to push education into the digital age, with an estimated 37% increase in technology spending for students. This has created new expectations for what parents are purchasing and the change is expected to stick.
Social media played a significant role in the back-to-school shopping journey for many parents this year. According to the same Deloitte survey, 41% of parents visited retailer’s social media pages to assess their products and get a sense of the personality and purpose of the brand. The 25% jump from 2020 to 2021 is a clear indication of how social media can be a great tool and asset for your organization. For help improving your brand’s social media presence, contact us.
Your Amazon Update
Amazon Opens Doors to Sellers from More Than 100 Countries
Amazon recently expanded the list of countries allowed to register for selling on Amazon to 188 countries. The 85 new countries are primarily located in Central Asia, Middle East, South America, and Africa. Some of the countries include Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Venezuela, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Amazon Paying Brands to Drive More Traffic to Site
Amazon recently launched its Brand Referral Bonus Program. The program is designed to incentivize brands to invest in marketing platforms like Facebook and Google but to link to Amazon rather than their e-commerce website by reducing the transaction fee to 5% from the typical 15%. Essentially, if a shopper goes to Amazon and finds the product, the brand will pay a 15% fee unless the brand sends the shopper to Amazon via an ad on their social media pages or a newsletter, in which case they will only pay a 5% fee. To learn more about the program and if it’s right for your brand, contact us.
Liz Bateman Joins B2B Buyer Panel Discussion
Highlands Creative Director, Liz Bateman, was featured in the recent BrightTALK Summit focused on B2B Content Strategy. She joined a panel titled “All Eyes on the B2B Buyer: From Retention to Results.”
Alongside Liz, panelists included Marianne Hewitt, CMO at The Growth Strategy Group, Annette Sandler, Director, Live Content US/Canada, AVIXA, and Tom Bianchi, VP Marketing EMEA at Acquia.
To watch a recording of the BrightTALK Panel, click here.
