Back to School Marketing Strategies for 2025

Back to school (BTS) remains one of the biggest retail moments of the year — second only to the holidays — with U.S. sales projected to reach $84.51 billion in 2025, up 3% from last year.

But this season won’t look like years past. Tariff increases and ongoing economic pressure are making shoppers more cautious and value-driven. Parents are looking for quality, flexibility, and value — not just discounts. For retailers, that means promotions alone won’t be enough. Success in 2025 will require clear product value, frictionless cross-channel experiences, and smart use of every customer touchpoint to build trust and drive conversion.

Identify Key Back-to-School Shopping Dates

Unlike other holidays, BTS shopping isn’t a single event — it’s an extended shopping period that typically begins in July and continues through August. This requires a flexible promotional calendar.

How to Implement:

Amazon Prime Day: Run competing promotions or “Prime Day alternative” deals to capture price-sensitive shoppers already in a discount mindset. Focus on exclusive bundles or unique value propositions that differentiate your products from competitors.

• Paid Media Tip: Allocate a portion of paid media budget to early-funnel campaigns in July (e.g., video, display ads) that build awareness around back to school collections and value propositions, leveraging lookalike audiences of past BTS purchasers. Then, shift to conversion-focused strategies during specific sales events.
• Email & SMS Tip: Send countdown emails and SMS alerts leading up to competing sale to create urgency. Use geo-targeted banners in emails to promote local store participation.

State Sales Tax Holidays: Many states offer sales tax holidays during July and August, which can drive increased in-store purchasing. Align promotions with these dates to maximize sales.

• Paid Media Tip: Implement geofencing around specific zip codes or counties experiencing tax holidays, serving hyper-local ads promoting eligible products and nearby store locations.
• Email & SMS Tip: Send targeted SMS alerts to customers in participating states, reminding them of the tax holiday and linking directly to eligible products.

Emphasize Product Features and Benefits

Parents are more price-sensitive and value-driven this back to school season than in years past. They’re looking for products built for daily use, which means messaging around durability, ease of use, and problem-solving will be more resonant than ever.

How to Implement:

Address Core Parental Concerns: Highlight features like durability, fabric quality, easy care instructions, and safety certifications. These directly address parents’ concerns about product quality and durability.

Showcase Adaptability & Inclusivity: Emphasize the adaptability and inclusiveness of your products by highlighting easy-on/easy-off features, sensory-friendly options, or adjustable components.

• Influencer Marketing Tip: Partner with parent, teacher, or student aged influencers to create content showing how your products fit into real-life scenarios (e.g., “My toddler’s favorite easy-on shoes for daycare,” “Dorm room essentials from [brand]”). Secure usage rights for the entire BTS season to amplify their content on paid media.
• SEO Tip: Optimize product descriptions and category pages with long-tail keywords like “durable elementary backpack,” “sensory-friendly school uniform,” or “eco-friendly art supplies.”
• Affiliate Tip: Launch content campaigns focused on in-depth product reviews through trusted affiliate partners. These reviews can highlight key features in a relatable, story-driven format that works well at the top of the funnel and drives higher-quality, intent-driven traffic to your site.

Highlight Outfitting and “One-Stop-Shop” Options

Demonstrating the versatility and range of your products positions your brand as a one-stop destination, saves customers time, and increases average order value.

How to Implement:

Curated Outfit Solutions: Simplify the shopping experience by showcasing complete outfit solutions that mix and match key products. This approach helps parents easily visualize and purchase coordinated looks.

Expand Product Bundles: Present cohesive product bundles that include shoes, accessories, lunch bags, and other relevant seasonal items to position your brand as a “one-stop-shop” and encourage larger purchases.

• Affiliate Marketing Tip: Provide affiliates with ready-made content ideas and unique tracking links for these bundles, incentivizing them to promote the one-stop-shop concept.
• Paid Media Tip: Run conversion-focused ads featuring these bundles, highlighting convenience and potential savings. Utilize lookalike audiences based on past bundle purchasers.
• Retail Media Tip: Create channel-specific product bundles as TikTok Shop exclusives. These limited offerings can spark greater engagement and drive virality around your brand’s back-to-school campaigns. Curate them around relatable moments — like dorm move-ins or school supply restocks — and ensure they’re visually compelling and easy to unbox on camera.

Promote Flexible Payment Options

Offering flexible payment methods increases purchasing accessibility, reduces friction, and caters to diverse customer financial preferences.

How to Implement:

Clearly Communicate Options: remind customers of your flexible payment options like Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) plans (e.g., Afterpay, Klarna), cash-back programs, and free shipping thresholds. This makes purchases more convenient and financially manageable for budget-conscious consumers.

Optimize Checkout: Ensure your website and app offer a wide range of payment options — including Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, saved credit cards, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), Amazon Pay, and Shop Pay integrations. Prioritize one-click checkout for returning customers and offer Buy Online, Curbside Pickup (BOCP) to reduce friction and improve convenience during peak shopping periods.

• Email & SMS Tip: Highlight flexible payment options throughout your messaging. Include clear callouts on product pages, in cart abandonment emails, and in SMS reminders to reassure shoppers and remove barriers to purchase, especially for high-value items.

Add Value with Guides and Quizzes

Providing consumers with educational content about your products drives purchases and increases customer satisfaction by helping them find the right products for their needs.

How to Implement:

Interactive Tools: Provide resources like interactive fit guides (sizing charts, augmented reality try-on features for clothing) and personalized recommendations through interactive quizzes. These reduce uncertainty, improve customer satisfaction, and minimize returns.

Educational Content: Create BTS shopping guides and quizzes that suggest products based on age, school year, personal preferences (e.g., “sporty,” “artsy,” “tech-focused”), or specific subject needs.

• SEO Tip: Create a dedicated content hub on your website for “Back-to-School Guides & Resources.” Optimize articles like “Your Ultimate School Supply Checklist by Grade” or “Choosing the Right Backpack: A Parent’s Guide” with relevant keywords and internal links.
• Paid Media Tip: Run awareness-level social campaigns promoting the guides and quizzes, driving traffic to content that nurtures potential customers before they’re ready to buy.
• Email Tip: Incorporate size/fit guides and interactive quizzes in all email communications to ensure customers always have access to them.
• Affiliate Tip: Partner with media publishers to include your brand in seasonal listicles, gift guides, or affiliate articles. These placements help build consideration and awareness by positioning your products alongside trusted editorial content.

Leverage Loyalty Programs 

While back to school items like school supplies and clothing often need mid-year replenishment, the bigger opportunity is building lasting customer relationships. Use this moment to start engaging shoppers ahead of future seasonal moments like the holidays or summer break. A strong loyalty program can help keep your brand top-of-mind year-round.

How to Implement:

Exclusive Back to School Tiers/Bonuses: Reward loyalty members with double points on school-related purchases, early access to BTS sales, or special point redemption periods for school essentials. Implement tiered levels based on back to school spending where higher tiers unlock perks like exclusive discounts or priority access to sales events.

• Affiliate Tip: In times of economic uncertainty, value becomes a top priority for shoppers, especially during high-spend moments like the BTS season. Support your brand’s loyalty strategy by partnering with publishers on platforms like cashback and rewards sites. To stand out, ensure your offers are competitive, with strong incentives and clear value that help your brand stand out when customers are comparing options.

Sign-Up Incentives: Create “join now and earn” incentives for new loyalty members by offering a bonus discount on their first back to school purchase.

• Email & SMS Tip: Promote loyalty perks across app notifications, targeted SMS/MMS, and segmented emails. Feature examples of how much members can save to drive urgency and sign-ups.

Offer an Omni-Channel Experience

74% of BTS shoppers plan to visit physical stores — especially for clothing try-ons, fit testing, or grabbing last-minute items. This reinforces the need for retailers to offer a seamless and convenient shopping experience across both online and offline channels.

How to Implement:

Promote In-Store via Online: Use your website, paid media, and owned channels to spotlight in-store-only offers, product demos, or “personal shopper” appointments for busy parents.

• Email & SMS Tip: Incorporate geo-targeted banners in email campaigns, and send SMS or push notifications that direct shoppers to the nearest store location. Personalize messages by ZIP code or store availability.

Promote In-Store Pickup & Delivery: Offer services like free ship-to-store, same-day delivery, in-store pickup, or curbside pickup options that cater to hybrid customers who want the convenience of online ordering with the speed of local pickup.

• Retail Media Tip: Extend your pickup and delivery messaging across retail media networks like Target, Walmart+, and Amazon. High-impact display placements on these platforms can build early brand awareness and influence shoppers before they convert in-store or online.

• Paid Media Tip: Use Local Inventory Ads (LIAs) to show real-time store availability in search results and drive high-intent traffic directly to the nearest retail location.
• SMS Tip: For local pickup orders, send timely text alerts with “Your order is ready” confirmations that include store hours, address, and helpful reminders (e.g., “Bring ID for pickup”).

 

Create In-Store-Only Experiences: Drive foot traffic with exclusive in-store inventory, limited-time collections, or pop-up experiences. Highlight what can only be found in person, whether it’s early access to BTS styles, exclusive product drops, or experiential activations that engage both students and families alike.

• Influencer Tip: Invite influencers to attend in-store events, pop-ups, or retail activations and share their experience authentically with their audience. As momentum grows, expand into influencer-supported product launches or even influencer-hosted meetups that bring their communities directly into your store.

Preparing Your Brand For Back to School

As the back to school season approaches, retailers must adapt their marketing strategies to meet the evolving needs and preferences of consumers. By leveraging a strategic mix of paid and owned channels, creating compelling content, and offering a seamless shopping experience, brands can effectively engage customers, foster loyalty and drive revenue growth. 

Need a smarter strategy for back-to-school? WITHIN helps brands connect every channel — from paid media and influencer to loyalty and lifecycle marketing — to turn seasonal spikes into sustained growth.