Commentary

Back-To-School With Millennial Moms

Fourth of July is upon us and for some parents, visions of sending kids back to school are already dancing in their minds. This includes millennial moms—believe it or not, some women on the older end of the millennial generation have children that are of school age and are preparing for classes in the fall. And this year, about $56.3 billion in back-to-school sales is expected – that’s a lot of backpacks, school supplies, new shoes and more. 

However, over the past few years, back-to-school has gotten a little more complicated for brands. According to eMarketer, back-to-school shopping has already started. Many parents start shopping as much as two months in advance of that first day of school. However, another study by America’s Research Group found 58% of parents would rather wait and shop when winter holidays crank up the sales and deals.

So what is a brand or retailer to do when it comes to the big back-to-school shopping window? 

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While the window is big, Google says the actual shopping period for a parent is two weeks and done. Jeff Fromm, president of FutureCast and author of Marketing to Millennials, says that this shopping period also is dependent upon location: “Back-to-school is not the same everywhere with school start dates varying depending on where you live. Activating local market plans are key.” 

Two other considerations to solve this challenge are creating always-on content and utilizing millennial mom back-to-school brand ambassadors. This kind of evergreen content can be an important strategy for spanning the long back-to-school season. And millennial ambassadors can be a great way to connect with other millennial moms and let them do some of the heavy lifting in local markets.

Three important things brands/retailers should keep in mind when thinking back-to-school strategies with millennial moms.

I asked Jeff for his recommendations on approaching the millennial mom. He offered three things brands should keep in mind when targeting this group: 

1. Remember she is very pragmatic.

“Help her make better decisions that fit her needs. She is less inclined to spend on things that are not on her needs list. The millennial mom is disciplined in her due diligence on products. Help her with the right information and make sure you are using digital, mobile and social to reach her. And it’s very important to remember she will talk to other moms as part of the decision-making process,” said Fromm.

2. Use technology to simplify decisions. 

Fromm stated, “While the millennial mom is looking for information, how that information is served is critical. Develop apps and solutions that simplify the decision making process. Better yet, include a cross section of millennial moms in the early development stages to ensure usage and adoption.”

3. Help her trade up or trade down.

“For brands it means two things. First, offer today’s millennial moms different price points. Give her the ability to trade up or down based on financial need. She will make trade-offs base on need, product benefits versus price. Second, consider private label products. If the private label brand meets her needs, she will often choose it over the branded product,” Fromm asserted.

For more insights on the millennial mom, be on the look-out for Jeff Fromm and co-author Marissa Vidler’s, founder of Clear Box Insights, new book, out in August: Millennials With Kids.

1 comment about "Back-To-School With Millennial Moms".
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  1. John Driscoll from School Family Media, July 2, 2015 at 12:27 p.m.

    Some great insight here from Jeff Fromm.  We are surprised by how many brands and agencies we work with don't realize how wide a window back to school really is.  Many schools go back early to mid August and many others aren't back until after Labor Day.  The other thing that resonated is his suggestion to of the importance of moms as brand ambassadors. When those moms are highly connected within a school community such as with PTO and PTA groups, and can thus easily reach out to other moms both online and offline they can provide very effective activation and help cut through the clutter that is typical during that timeframe.

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