Back-to-School E-commerce Might Be Very Profitable

Families who have children know that, in the late summer, a large amount of the family's finances is already assigned to the return of the youngsters to school. While the back-to-school purchases are usually made via the traditional way, by going to a supermarket and picking out the necessary school supplies, researchers say that this happens only because the online ads are not striking enough.

"Eighty-three percent of all back-to-school consumers indicate that they're somewhat likely to seek information on promotions they see online," says a survey conducted by AOL's Platform-A. Advertisers are not especially inclined to promote their products in early and mid summer, but this might turn out to be in their disadvantage, as the study underscores. 40% of the "early-shoppers," including here the people who make their purchases in June-July, opt for electronic products. This is understandable, considering the fact that bigger acquisitions require more time to be made and tested.

"This suggests that advertisers may want to promote laptops, cell phones and other electronics during the earlier summer months. Advertisers can also use online targeting as a way to reach these consumers during these early summer months," says the study. Giving an example to advertisers as to how things should be done, researchers advise them to promote a special day with discounts, like the popular "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" that kick off the winter shopping season. This type of advertising should be doubled by a continuous packaging of their products, in order for them to become more and more appealing.

Of course, the shopping spree triggered by the winter holidays cannot be compared with the back-to-school purchasing habits. Yet, advertisers might try to launch some of their best offers, suited for the children's needs and their mothers' wishes (as the study shows that women are the decision markers when it comes to this matter) in early summer.