MARBLE FALLS — Today’s shoppers have lots of options, so getting people through the front door for back-to-school sales depends on a variety of strategies.
“One of the things we really try to do at Office Depot is we pride ourselves on a being a one-stop place to shop for office supplies,” said Assistant Manager Mark Ashbaugh of the Marble Falls store, 1311 Mormon Mill Road. “Since we already have all the office supply items, we also have all the back-to-school supplies as well. So we really stress how people can get so many things by just coming here.”
That’s one of the most up-front tactics, officials say. But Office Depot doesn’t just stop there.
Ashbaugh said it’s also important to make connections in the education community.
So while the store positions school supplies to make them attractive to shoppers who come through the door, the retailer also builds relationships with educators.
One way they do this is through the store's annual teacher breakfast and reception.
“Early in August, we’ll hold a teacher breakfast where we have coffee, doughnuts and other things,” Ashbaugh said. “And there’s some discounts for them.”
The idea is to let educators know Office Depot is there for them, as well as show them what the store has to offer, he said.
School supplies traditionally are considered pens, pencils and notebooks, but today’s students are also looking at the latest in electronics, Ashbaugh said.
So the store offers a big selection and competitive pricing for its computers and other digital devices, he added.
“Sure, college students and high school students use laptops, but if you go to the elementary school you’ll see those kids are also using lots of computers,” Ashbaugh said. “So new computers and electronics are a big part of our back-to-school business.”
Other area stores that specialize in back-to-school supplies include H-E-B and Walmart.
While electronics and school supplies are part of the modern student’s needs, so is one of the old faithful standbys— clothes.
Every summer parents and youth hit the department stores, specialty shops and discount outlets in search of new school clothes.
For Lori DePalma, the store manager of the Bealls in Burnet at 118 E. Polk St., it’s about getting people through the front door whether by offering “we-pay-the-taxes events” such as the one her store is hosting Aug. 22 or online marketing plans featuring coupons and special offers.
“We really use a a lot of different ways to get people to come in,” she said.
One of the most important still remains having the merchandise students — and their parents — want. DePalma said they use sales on several items to draw consumers' attention.
“We’ll have plenty of sales through August,” she said.
But DePalma said when it comes to getting the back-to-school dollars, clothiers almost always return to one particular style.
“It’s all about the denim,” she said. “We try to keep a good selection in all our departments — juniors, young men and children. We have a saying, ‘Smother them with denim.’”
Attracting costumer interest calls for a varied approach, DePalma said.
While Bealls runs sales, advertisements and offers coupons, the department store chain has also turned to the social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to get the word out.
DePalma said all those are handled through the corporate office.
According to a Pew Research Center study, social networking is one of the best ways to reach today’s teens.
The Pew Study “Social Networking and Young Adults” showed that in 2009, 73 percent of online teens used social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Yet retailers using Twitter to attract the 12-17 age bracket may want to rethink that strategy for now.
The same study showed that only 8 percent of the online teens used Twitter.
It’s not just about attracting the students themselves. DePalma said when moms walk through the door, merchants want to offer them a complete shopping experience.
“When the mothers come in, they make their way around the entire store and hit everything,” she said. “So we do what we can to make the mothers’ shopping trips an enjoyable experience.”
