This article was created by our partner Virid, the leading unified commerce solution for growing brands.
Most retailers spend a significant portion of their year preparing for the holiday season. But not every retailer is prepared for the back-to-school season, the second-largest annual spending event.
Each year, consumers spend billions on back-to-school purchases, with an emphasis on electronics, clothing, accessories, shoes, school supplies, and dorm furnishings. For retailers in those categories, beginning preparations early is the key to winning the season.
Below, we dive into how retailers can optimize their sites and improve the ecommerce customer experience in time for the back-to-school season.
Streamline the checkout process
The global ecommerce cart abandonment rate is about 70%, and among the primary causes for cart abandonment are unexpected extra costs, forced account creation, and a lengthy checkout flow.
Reduce friction in the checkout process by displaying fees upfront in the customer journey. Offer a guest checkout option so customers can complete their purchase without creating an account. Use autocomplete for billing and shipping addresses to save your customers time, and hide non-essential inputs like “Address Line 2” and “Company” unless the customer opts to show them.
Additionally, provide customers with greater flexibility by integrating digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal at checkout. And consider offering additional options like Afterpay, Klarna, or other Buy Now Pay Later payment methods so customers can shop the way they want.
Optimize product detail pages
Customers decide whether or not to buy from you on your product detail pages. From product photos and reviews to common product questions, PDPs are where customers find critical information that guides them to checkout.
Ensure each PDP is making the best impression by optimizing the copy with strategic long-tail keywords, including high-quality photos, and implementing features like ratings and reviews and Q&A. Make sure your primary CTA (i.e., “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” button) is prominent, above the fold, and easy to find on both desktop and mobile.
Create an omnichannel experience
According to Capital One Shopping Research, 70% of shoppers plan to split their back-to-school spending between online and in-store purchases, making a true omnichannel experience more critical than ever. Meeting customers where they are, whether they’re scrolling on mobile or browsing in-store, requires that all customer touchpoints work as one cohesive system.
Your digital and mobile customer experiences are especially critical to commerce success, as mobile commerce accounts for the majority of ecommerce sales. Optimize your site for mobile by simplifying your navigation, offering digital wallet options, incorporating thumb-friendly CTA buttons, and ensuring fast site speeds. Ensure images render properly on mobile and compress them to reduce page load times.
Fulfillment flexibility has also become a key piece of omnichannel commerce strategies. Connect the online and in-store experiences by offering options such as curbside pickup and Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS). These options reduce friction, increase order frequency, and can drive additional in-store purchases.
Leverage user-generated content
UGC, like product ratings and reviews, provides social proof that gives shoppers the confidence to buy. A strong UGC strategy can be a low-lift, cost-effective way to reach customers where they are, build trust, and increase conversions. Reviews influence 93% of consumer purchasing decisions, and shopper interaction with product ratings and reviews increases conversions by 120%.
Leverage UGC by showcasing top-rated or best-selling products on your category pages and including badges on the product thumbnails. Consider featuring positive reviews and user-uploaded photos and videos in social media campaigns and marketing emails to further extend their reach.
Personalize the experience
According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when this doesn’t happen. Back-to-school season is a great opportunity to personalize the customer experience for your unique customer segments.
Leverage AI tools and customer purchase data to deliver product recommendations that fit their preferences. AI learning models can distinguish between casual browsers and returning buyers, adjusting next steps to deliver value that brings them to checkout. AI can also offer tailored product suggestions, personalized page layouts, and reminders about recently viewed items or items in the cart to help customers feel more connected to the brand.
When it comes to back-to-school, shoppers range from parents to students to teachers, so consider segmenting your marketing messages and communications based on their unique needs. For example, feature unique product bundles tailored to different target audiences, such as a freshman-year bundle with dorm essentials for first-year college students.
Refine your fulfillment strategy
A reliable fulfillment strategy is critical to a successful back-to-school season. Use historical sales data and demand forecasting tools to anticipate which products will sell quickly and stock accordingly to avoid both costly overstock situations and stockouts. Set up low-inventory alerts so your team can reorder before popular items run out and clearly communicate limited availability on your PDPs to create urgency without frustrating shoppers.
As peak season approaches, optimize your warehouse or fulfillment center for rapid picking by placing high-velocity items closest to packing stations.
Also consider diversifying fulfillment options by partnering with multiple carriers or by leveraging a third-party logistics provider (3PL) to handle volume spikes without straining your internal team. Look for a provider that handles every step of your 3PL fulfillment with speed and precision.
Simplify shipping and returns
A simple returns process turns one-time buyers into loyal customers, as customers are more likely to make a repeat purchase with a brand after an easy returns experience.
Display your shipping options, fees, and return policy prominently on your site so customers see them early in their journey. Add it to the site header and product detail pages so there are no surprises at checkout. Also consider offering self-service portals to automate the returns process, and enabling boxless and print-less drop-offs at partner carriers to further reduce friction. Offering free or discounted return shipping during peak seasons like back-to-school can also reduce purchase hesitation and increase conversions.
Final thoughts
Back-to-school season can be a major revenue opportunity for retailers if they are prepared in advance. If you’re not sure if your site is ready for the season, request a site assessment from the experts at Virid to get personalized recommendations to improve performance and boost conversions.
