It’s time for retailers to revise back to school promotion timetables

Retailers such as John Lewis and Debenhams missed out on the initial demand for back to school uniform by starting promotions too late in the season. New research from GlobalData has found that the most popular period for buying school uniform is at the end of the school term, when back to school items are front of mind for shoppers.

Daniel August 28, 2017

Note: The chart above shows when shoppers have purchased or plan to purchase school uniform for the 2017/2018 academic year. All figures are percentages. Data is from GlobalData’s nationally representative shopper tracker of 2,000 online shoppers surveyed in August 2017.

The data also showed that most AB shoppers – a core part of the department stores’ customer bases – buy at the end of July. Offering shoppers incentives to buy from the retailer earlier in the season would have driven footfall instore and helped the department store better compete with rivals, boosting sales during the peak in demand.

Retailers must communicate back to school offers and promotions at the right time for their target audience. C2 and DE shoppers, who are most likely to be budgeting for the summer ahead, also preferred to buy at the end of July. This benefitted Aldi and Lidl who enticed shoppers with competitively priced uniform from mid-July.

Despite the majority of shoppers buying in advance, over a third of shoppers intend to buy school uniform at the end of August, so retailers must ensure they have enough stock to cater to shoppers leaving it until the last-minute.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData

Tick here to opt out of curated industry news, reports, and event updates from Retail Insight Network.

Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.