E-commerce: a back-to-school special?

The back-to-school season is now the second biggest e-commerce event with an increase of more than 20% in the number of searches on Google. More and more online stores are impacted by this event for buying school supplies, clothes, and sporting goods for our little ones who are growing up way too fast.

Spending is expected to increase in 20191 with an average budget of €159 for a child in pre-school or kindergarten, 361 euros for middle school or junior high, and 389 euros for high school. To help you make your back-to-school season a success, here are some tips and resolutions. 

Is your site optimized for back to school?

Before tackling this key period, remember to audit your site. We recommend targeting your search system's performance, the user experience of your range presentation pages, and your product pages. Your audience statistics and KPIs from last year can also be useful indicators. Finally, monitor your competitors to stay on top of what's new this school year. Markets change fast! 

Make sure your offer is relevant and at the right price. Take time to come up with cross-promotions and sets that fit your visitors' demands to increase your average cart. 

To help you optimize your site, we have gathered a selection of modules available on our marketplace.

Finally, remember to check that your payment solution is PSD2-compliant with strong authentication and the "3D Secure 2.0" system. You have until September 14, 2019 to implement it. Any doubts? Discover our partners' up-to-date modules.

How can you boost your visibility for back to school?

90% of Internet users use a price comparison service before purchasing. This is a unique occasion to attract new customers by exporting your products from your PrestaShop e-store to the comparison sites that your potential buyers use the most. You can also synchronize your online catalog with the most effective online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.

To find out more, just click here!

A chatbot to give advice on what to buy for back to school

Also called a conversational assistant, chatbots allow your customers to chat with an automated service. Internet users increasingly appreciate and use this online discussiontool, and it is an excellent way to prevent abandoned carts by providing a personalized help service. The 24/7 service provides real-time information on sizes, technical characteristics, and product availability.

PrestaShop has recommended suitable online chat modules that you can find on its marketplace.

Relevant sales offers for back to school

Back to school purchases are mainly made online. They happen in several stages according to the requests of teachers, sports coaches, and music and arts teachers. It is rare that everything is done in one go. Why not offer a loyalty program that targets repeat or additional purchases until the next school vacation? Discover coupon management modules selected by PrestaShop.

PrestaShop 1.7's advantages

Optimize your sales in real time! Managing specific prices allows you to change the price or duration of a product's promotion with just a click. Download PrestaShop 1.7.

Use SEO to make your back-to-school sales a success

With PrestaShop 1.7 and the modules that appear on our marketplace, you can enjoy essential tools to make this back to school season a success for your business. First, remember to fill out your meta tags to optimize your position on search engines' results pages and social media platforms.  

You can also use your ecosystem, blog, and social networks to boost your sales using the Buy Button, an action button that will automatically direct your buyers to the shopping cart and maximize impulse buying.

PrestaShop has selected over 40 modules to help you make the most of the sales peak and make this back-to-school season a success. Conversion packs, notification systems, quiz and competition management tools, personalized statistics, on-site retargeting, and, above all, payment solutions that comply with PSD2 standards. 

Take a look at our marketplace or contact one of our advisors to optimize your sales or get ready for the next big sales event...the holidays!

1 According to the annual survey from CSF (in French)

2 Global Consumer Trend ATG