3 Tips for Increasing Amazon Back to School Sales

The DealNews Seller's Guide

Back to School is a relatively long sales season that runs from late July to early September.​ We go over three ways your business can prep for Back to School and hold a successful sale.

Welcome to the DealNews Seller's Guide. Today we’ll go over three ways sellers can increase their Amazon Back to School sales. What should you do to be successful during Back to School season this year?

The school year has just let out for the summer in some places, but it's time for Amazon sellers to start prepping for Back to School season.

Want to increase your Amazon Back to School sales in 2021? Let's go over three ways your business can prep for the upcoming school year and hold a successful sale.

1. Get the Timing Right

Back to School is a relatively long sales season that runs from late July to early September. In the U.S. it usually wraps up around Labor Day, when kids are back in classrooms. Schools don't have set return dates nationwide, as classrooms across the country begin the school year at different times; however, most students get school supply lists by August at the latest. Early shoppers may have already been hunting for bargains by then, but those who wait until the last minute could be scrambling to get supplies right as the school year begins.

SEE ALSO: 8 Amazon Listing Optimization Tips You May Not Have Considered

Aside from school start times, you can also look to state sales tax holidays to guide your own sales plans. Seventeen states offer tax free events that line up with Back to School season, and they can range from two days to a full week. These allow parents to pick up items in categories like clothing, computers, and school supplies without paying sales tax on them.

The tax breaks are generally restricted to purchases under a certain amount, but these holidays are a very appealing time for shoppers to make big purchases. And it doesn't cost you anything to benefit from these sales! If you sell products in tax free categories to people in the appropriate state during one of these holidays, they won't pay taxes on the items automatically. Amazon isn't a regional marketplace, but you'll want to be sure your sales are ready to grab people's attention when they're shopping these tax free events.

So when should you start prepping your Back to School promotions? Probably as soon as your Amazon Prime Day sales wrap up. You should also plan for your promotions to run through early September.

2. Be Aware of Changes for 2021 A lot of learning went online in 2020, which changed the season's typical sales patterns. According to the National Retail Federation, the year saw parents investing more heavily in home learning setups, including computers, desks, and other must-haves.

But most students are expected to return to in-person learning in 2021. In fact, The Washington Post reported that nearly half of U.S. schools were open full time before the school year ended for the summer. And even more will fully reopen in the fall, as increased vaccination rates and lowered social distancing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean it's easier and safer to do so.

So Back to School sales are more likely to resemble those from 2019 than 2020 this year, with an increased focus on items needed for in-person learning. Expect backpacks and lunch bags to be in high demand, as well as furniture and decor for kitting out a college dorm room.

3. Gauge Which Products Will Be Back to School Bestsellers

The first thing to think about when you're prepping for Back to School is which products to sell. Fortunately, Back to School products are relatively predictable year to year — the things kids need to head to the classroom every year are pretty much the same. Here are some steps you'll want to take.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Best Items to Sell Online in August 2021

Review your sales metrics. Doing so will allow you to see what your top sellers were in previous Back to School seasons. Look for your bestselling ASINs (A-sins), as well as products with high ratings and good reviews. These products have a higher chance of ranking well in search, so offering them at sale prices is more likely to result in high conversion rates.

Investigate the competition. If you don't have enough sales data to work with or just aren't sure which products are best for Back to School, you can also check out what other retailers are promoting. Target and Walmart both already have splashy Back to School pages that show off must-have products by category and age group. These mega-retailers know what sells, and examining what they're offering can help you come up with your own Back to School sales plan.

Don't limit yourself either. The season's sales go beyond typical school supplies, so don't limit yourself to listing paper, pencils, and Back to School clothes. Cleaning supplies will be a must-have for homes and classrooms, with students coming and going every day. And these items may be even more important in 2021, as the coronavirus is still fresh in the minds of parents and teachers. Students going off to college this semester will be shopping for just about everything they need to live away from home, including furniture, decor, and personal care products.

Remember that electronics are also a major part of Back to School sales. According to the National Retail Federation, 37 percent of shoppers planned to buy laptops and 26 percent planned to buy digital accessories last year. Laptops, Chromebooks, and tablets will likely continue to be key parts of Back to School shopping in 2021. Lower-cost basic systems are more common for elementary and middle school students, while high schoolers and college students will be looking for more powerful machines. Durability is a key feature for all age groups, while portability and battery life are must-haves in college laptops.

Be sure to think about who you're marketing to when picking items to promote with Back to School sales. Do you sell electronics that don't quite fit Back to School needs? Then you probably don't want to highlight them for your event.

Consider creating bundles. Say you're selling regular school supplies. Then perhaps you could package notebooks, pens, binders, and other basics. Such bundles give you a unique product offering and appeal to time-strapped parents because they won't have to pick out items individually.

What if you're selling consumable items like printer paper or health and beauty products? Consider offering them through Amazon's Subscribe & Save program to increase long-term sales. You can set up specific discounts and coupons for Subscribe & Save to further entice shoppers.

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