The back-to-school retail season has begun, and a well-executed electronic mail advertising marketing campaign can increase gross sales.
Final month, the Nationwide Retail Federation surveyed U.S. buyers about their back-to-school (and faculty) spending. The NRF then projected purchases this 12 months for elementary by way of highschool college students at $41 billion, up from the earlier excessive of $37 billion in 2021, whereas of us headed to varsity would spend $94 billion, up from final 12 months’s $20 billion.
Individually, Klaviyo reported the outcomes of 2022 analysis that confirmed that the ten top-performing back-to-school electronic mail campaigns generated about $200 in income per recipient.
Therefore many retailers — brick-and-mortar, omnichannel, pure-play ecommerce — will possible make important back-to-school advertising investments, most actually together with electronic mail.
What follows is a seven-email sequence for retail entrepreneurs to identified clients and subscribers.
Keep in mind to maintain your emails partaking and visually enticing, with clear calls to motion. Personalization is vital for a profitable electronic mail marketing campaign, and monitoring the emails’ open and conversion charges facilitates adjusting your technique as mandatory.

The back-to-class purchasing season is among the many most important retail gross sales intervals within the U.S., in response to the NRF. Picture: Midjourney.
1. The Again-to-school Teaser
The primary electronic mail within the sequence is supposed to spark back-to-school curiosity. Its message has a twin mission.
It ought to level to seasonal content material advertising pages on the retailer’s web site, resembling a listing of back-to-school vogue necessities or a preview of the perfect laptops for any funds.
Second, the e-mail ought to tease (reveal) coming featured merchandise or gross sales.
2. The Sale Announcement
Having correctly teased the promotions, the sale announcement electronic mail delivers the presents.
That is simple electronic mail advertising. Share the merchandise, concentrate on the advantages, and watch the purchases are available in.
Think about eradicating from the sequence buyers who make giant purchases from this message. Advance them to the post-purchase electronic mail.
Attempt together with a mechanism — resembling a contest or product personalization — to be taught concerning the college students utilizing the objects. You need to use this info later within the seventh electronic mail.
3. Customized Suggestions
Some buyers could have clicked installment two, The Sale Announcement, and browsed merchandise with out shopping for something.
Ship these of us customized suggestions primarily based on their looking habits, objects positioned within the cart, or previous purchases.
As soon as once more, transfer buyers who purchase to the post-purchase follow-up.
4. Ending Quickly
Every week earlier than the top of the back-to-school purchasing season, deploy an “Ending Quickly” electronic mail concentrating on buyers who’ve but to purchase or purchased sparingly.
The message reiterates a suggestion, calling out featured merchandise, and will embrace a second dose of customized suggestions.
5. The Final Day
Just like the “Ending Quickly” message, this discover goes out on the final day of a retailer’s back-to-school season.
It’s a last reminder concerning the sale and will embrace last-minute presents or closeouts added because the sale started.
6. Publish-purchase
A post-purchase advertising electronic mail shouldn’t be an order verification however a possibility to thank buyers for his or her back-to-school purchases by providing one thing further.
The supply could possibly be a coupon code for an surprising low cost or an merchandise the consumer might have neglected. It might ask buyers to position footage of their purchases on Fb or Instagram, maybe getting into members in a sweepstakes.
7. Faculty Begins
The ultimate electronic mail within the sequence ought to happen shortly after faculty begins.
The message might want college students a profitable 12 months, together with a customized word from “The Sale Announcement” message above.
This electronic mail might level recipients to articles or movies on the shop’s weblog, placing a conclusion to the sequence that began with a teaser.
Now the aim is to maintain the shopper engaged till the following retail alternative.