Back-to-school guide for digital marketers

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Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

No part of this copyrighted work may be reproduced, modified, or distributed in any form or manner without the prior written permission of Experian.

Experian Public.

Back-to-school Guide for Digital Marketers

Heather Dougherty, Research Director

Shelley Kessler, Manager of Reporting and Analytics

May 21, 2014

Follow us at

@ExperianMkt

2 © 2013 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Experian Public. 2 © 2013 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Experian Public. @ExperianMkt

Shelley Kessler

Manager of Reporting and Analytics, Cross-Channel Marketing

Introducing our back-to-school experts

GM of Global Research

Experian Marketing Service

@billtancer

Back-to-school webinar agenda:

• Roundup of the back-to-school

search activity from 2013

• The importance of Deal-Seeking

influentials

• Tips to target college students

• Top performing back-to-school

email offers

• Key takeaways for the upcoming

back-to-school season

Heather Dougherty

Director of Research, Experian Marketing Services




Back-to-school insights from 2013

Which month retained its spot as the key back-to-school month

for email campaigns in 2013?




Online Purchases in Last 30 days Back to school potential start of Holiday season

20%

22%

24%

26%

28%

30%

32%

34%

36%

38%

40%

Made an online purchase last 30 days




Defining the Back to School season Search activity increased 19% YoY

0.000%

0.002%

0.004%

0.006%

0.008%

0.010%

0.012%

0.014%

0.016%

0.018%

0.020%

06/0

1

06/0

8

06/1

5

06/2

2

06/2

9

07/0

6

07/1

3

07/2

0

07/2

7

08/0

3

08/1

0

08/1

7

08/2

4

08/3

1

09/0

7

09/1

4

09/2

1

09

/28

10/0

5

Sh

are

of

Searc

hes

Search Term Variations for 'Back to School'

2011

2012

2013

Week of 8/03




At-a-glance – Back to School Searches Shopping is most prevalent during August

• Search activity slows after

the school year gets

started around mid-month

• Searches pick up again

for ‘back to school

clothes’ & ‘school clothes’

during the 1st 2 weeks of

Sept after school starts

• School activities like

‘welcome nights’ and

various games & crafts

are popular

Back to School

searches continue but

starts to slow

September

• Search activity starts to

pick up after the July 4th

holiday & vacations

• ‘Back to school clothes’

and ‘school clothes’ start

to build throughout the

month & peak during the

last week of July

• ‘Back to school sales’

begin, with paid search

activity starting mid-

month

Back to school

searches begin

July

• ‘Back to school supplies’

& ‘school supplies’

peaked during 1st 2 weeks

• ‘Back to school sales’

peaked the week of Aug

3rd and ‘back to school

shopping’ peaked the

week of Aug 10th

• Interest in content like

‘back to school outfits’

and ‘back to school

hairstyles’ increase &

peak before school starts

Back to school

searches peak

August




Top Back to School Keywords in 2013 Increased interest in Pinterest and DIY options

Top Back to School Related

Keywords – Ranked by Growth YoY

1. 2013 +2820%

2. pinterest +377%

3. child +363%

4. giveaway +357%

5. flyers +338%

Top NEW Back to School Related

Keywords

1. health

2. 2nd

3. DIY

4. facebook

5. banner

Top Back to School Related

Keywords – Ranked by Volume

1. 2013 +2820%

2. ideas -25%

3. supplies +49%

4. free +33%

5. bulletin -47%

6. sales +68%

7. hairstyles -20%

8. kids +36%

9. grade +13%

10. clothes +2%

12 weeks ending September 28, 2013, compared YoY




Deal Seekers – Moms More likely to seek deals everywhere

5%

9%

12%

14%

27%

34%

7%

14%

13%

13%

18%

35%

Deal Rejectors

Deal Thrillers

Deal Takers

Offline Deal Seekers

Deal-SeekerInfluentials

Deal Indifferents

Moms

All adults

Deal-Seeker Influentials

• Always seeking the best

deal online, offline and

mobile

Offline Deal Seekers

• Avid deal seekers

through more traditional

media




65% 67%

61%

6 to 9 10 to 11 12 to 17

“I like to indulge my children with little extras”

37%

41%

38%

6 to 9 10 to 11 12 to 17

I don’t like it when my kids ask for non-essentials”

30%

27%

24%

6 to 9 10 to 11 12 to 17

“I find it hard to resist my kids’ requests for non-essentials”

Indulging Children Moms of 10 & 11 year-olds most likely to give in

College Students




Deal Seekers – College Students Majority shop only for things they need

4%

10%

11%

10%

22%

43%

7%

13%

14%

13%

18%

35%

Deal Rejectors

Deal Takers

Deal Thrillers

Offline DealSeekers

Deal-SeekerInfluentials

DealIndifferents

College students

All adults

Deal-Seeker Influentials

• Always seeking the best

deal online, offline and

mobile

Deal Indifferents

• Lacking in shopping

enthusiasm in general

and are unlikely to

change their behavior

because of a deal




Searches for College Dorm Décor Planning starts much earlier to prepare students for dorm life

0.0000%

0.0002%

0.0004%

0.0006%

0.0008%

0.0010%

0.0012%

0.0014%

Sh

are

o

f S

ea

rch

es

Searches for College Dorm Decor Needs

2013

2012




Top College Dorm Décor Search Terms in 2013 Checklists to help with planning are key

Top College Dorm Décor Term Retail

Destinations – Share of Search Clicks

1. Bed Bath & Beyond 8%

2. PBTeen 8%

3. Dorm Co. 7%

4. Dorm Smart 6%

5. Residence Hall Linens 6%

Top College Dorm Décor Term

Content Destinations

1. Pinterest 5%

2. CollegePackingList.com 2%

3. HGTV.com 2%

4. Seventeen.com 2%

5. RealSimple.com 2%

Top College Dorm Décor Terms–

Ranked by Volume

1. dorm room checklist +108%

2. dorm room ideas -55%

3. dorm bedding -45%

4. college dorm bedding +345%

5. dorm room bedding +11%

6. college dorm checklist +58%

7. dorm room decorations +166%

8. dorm refrigerators -45%

9. college dorm list New

10. dorm checklist +106%

12 weeks ending Sept 28, 2013, compared YoY




Search Activity for Laptops & Tablets for Students Peaked in August but opportunities exist year round

0.0000%

0.0001%

0.0002%

0.0003%

0.0004%

0.0005%

0.0006%

0.0007%

0.0008% 0

5/1

1/2

01

3

05

/25

/201

3

06

/08

/201

3

06

/22

/201

3

07

/06

/201

3

07

/20

/201

3

08

/03

/201

3

08

/17

/201

3

08

/31

/201

3

09

/14

/201

3

09

/28

/201

3

10

/12

/201

3

10

/26

/201

3

11

/09

/201

3

11

/23

/201

3

12

/07

/201

3

12

/21

/201

3

01

/04

/201

4

01

/18

/201

4

02

/01

/201

4

02

/15

/201

4

03

/01

/201

4

03

/15

/201

4

03

/29

/201

4

04

/12

/201

4

04

/26

/201

4

05

/10

/201

4

Sh

are

of

Se

arc

he

s

Searches for Laptops & Tablets for College/School

Week of 8/17




Top Laptop & Tablet Terms for College/School Significant growth in searches for tablets

Top Retail Destinations – Share of

Search Clicks

1. Best Buy 5%

2. Dell 2%

3. Amazon 2%

4. Lenovo 1%

5. TigerDirect.com 1%

Top Content Destinations – Share of

Search Clicks

1. SuperUser Blog 4%

2. Yahoo! Answers 4%

3. PC Magazine 3%

4. LPTPS 3%

5. LaptopMag.com 3%

Top Laptop & Tablets for

College/Students – Ranked by

Volume

1. college -7%

2. laptop -23%

3. best +46%

4. laptops -11%

5. students -16%

6. tablet +377%

7. 2013 NEW

8. school 11%

9. schools 106%

10. tablets NEW

12 weeks ending August 31, 2013, compared YoY

Email Insights




August retained its spot as the key Back-to-School month for email campaigns

• While the percent of email volume mailed in July in 2013

returned to the same levels seen in 2011, the volume for

September 2013 campaigns was the highest ever.




Email campaigns focused on apparel and accessories, and personal and school supplies

The Supplies group included

brands offering books,

furniture, room decorations,

personal and school supplies.

Apparel mailers included

apparel and accessory brands

as well as department stores.




For apparel and accessories, Back-to-school email revenue peaked in August

In 2013, 18% of apparel Back-to-school mailings were sent in the first half

of September, and they generated 19% of the revenue. This was a major

increase from the 4% of volume and revenue received in that time period

in 2012.




Back-to-school email revenue also peaked in August for supplies

Emails campaigns for Back-to-school supplies sent in July generated

a higher percentage of revenue than their share of Back-to-school

volume. This may make July a good time to try additional mailings.




Symbols and personalization in email subject lines boosted unique open rates

Lift in unique open rates

24 hours

Lift in unique open rates

Symbols:

Late Summer Fun and Back to

School Essentials

Personalized:

Shelley, SAVE on Back to

School




Targeting by school level was effective for email Back-to-school campaigns

Lift in unique clicks with

‘college’ in the subject

line

Get 10% off college essentials

Lift in revenue per email

with ‘kids’ in the subject

line

Kids: Back-to-school cool




Emails for beauty product and shoes did quite well in Back-to-school mailings

Higher transaction rates

Beauty products

Higher transaction rates

Shoes




Leverage Pinterest to promote Back to School merchandise and content – searchers are actively seeking out ideas around clothes, hairstyles, and dorm room décor as they prepare for the school year to start. DIY & customization options also appeal to today’s students.

Don’t underestimate the influence of children during the purchasing process – many Moms love a good deal, but they also want to keep their children happy.

Timing of BTS campaigns can matter. While July and August are the main BTS months, there may be more opportunity to mail additional campaigns for school supplies in July, and adding mailings for clothing and accessories seems to have worked well in early September.

Targeting specific ages for BTS may boost open rates as “College” and “kids” both enjoyed high response rates last year.

Dynamically personalizing the email subject line also raises open rates and should be included in a strong back-to-school mailing program.

Key Takeaways




Questions?

Have questions?

Type them into the Q&A box on your Go2Webinar screen now.

As a reminder, we will be sending a link to the recording and webinar deck this week.

If you have any questions, email [email protected]

Upcoming research:

As a thank you for attending this webinar, you will receive our new back-to-school report

► The report will be sent to you in mid June




Date post:	12-Jan-2015
Category:	Business
Upload:	experian-marketing-services
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Back-to-school guide for digital marketers

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