Who’s Your Audience? Back-to-School Edition

2 Min Read

Back-to-school spending topped $110 billion in 2022. So, what does it take to make it a best-in-class season again this year? A survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) revealed that 84% of shoppers encountered sticker shock in 2022 (thanks, inflation!), and with the way things stand, this sentiment is no doubt alive and well this year. But there’s nothing discretionary about back-to-school. “Families consider back-to-school and college items as an essential category, and they are taking whatever steps they can, including cutting back on discretionary spending, shopping sales, and buying store- or off-brand items, in order to purchase what they need for the upcoming school year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

If you want to breeze through the season with flying colors (and an A+—maybe even some extra credit?), then you’ll want to start off with our back-to-school seasonal guide. Pair what you learn with some of these in-market audiences below, and you’ll be all set for a winning semester campaign.

Audience Name: Prospective College Shoppers

Audience Provider: Oracle

Why they’re valuable: Who knew that a little keyword tweak could unlock so many possibilities? While the traditional back-to-school segments matter, there’s opportunity to be found in reaching those soon-to-be students, too.

Audience Name: Comparison Shoppers

Audience Provider: Oracle

Why they’re valuable: 43% of back-to-school shoppers are doing comparative shopping online—and in this economy, brand loyalty is no match for a good deal, especially for the back-to-school season. 

Audience Name: College Life

Audience Provider: DeliDataX

Why they’ve valuable: DeliData certainly serves up a buffet of audience choices—and this one is no exception. Target college enthusiasts who are looking forward to getting back to the books (mainly for the socializing, not so much the studying part).

Audience Name: Professors and Teachers

Audience Provider: Eyeota

Why they’re valuable: We often focus so much on the students and the parents shopping for them, that we often forget that the professionals who keep our whole system running—the educational sector—need to get themselves back-to-school ready, too.

Audience Name: Homework and Studying

Audience Provider: Media Source

Why they’re valuable: We’re ready to bet that this studious set are even more likely to get a headstart on their back-to-school shopping than their less eager counterparts. Help arm them with all the supplies for an A+ new school year.

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