When it comes to back-to-school promotions, Staples pushed more products than any other retailer while Kohl’s spent the most on advertising for the season, according to a Numerator study.
Promotions ran fast and furious at the beginning of the back to school although retailers throttled them back somewhat as the season advanced, Numerator indicated. From June 21 to August 15, Staples was promoted the greatest number of products followed by Macy’s, Target, Family Dollar and Best Buy. A year ago, Staples also came in on top followed by Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Smith’s. Among merchandise categories, apparel and electronics saw more promotion versus 2020, while traditional school supplies experienced slightly less. Web promotions came in roughly on par with last year, while weekly ads saw less action and email promotions gained significantly, Numerator noted.
Back-to-school-themed ad spending has been now down slightly versus last year, by 11%, and down more, by 45%, compared to 2019. Kohl’s topped the ad spending pack this year followed by Target, JCPenney, Walmart and Macy’s. Last year, Walmart came in as high hand followed by Target, JCPenney, Kohl’s and Amazon, according to Numerator. Radio and mobile ad spending gained from 2020 while other categories were softer.
Through August 15, Numerator stated, back-to-school spending gained 42% from 2020 but fell 17% versus 2019.
