Pop Quiz: What’s the Secret to Success this Back-to-School Season?

However, unlike other shopping seasons, back-to-school shopping has historically had one key, unique aspect: it’s particularly popular for in-person experiences.

Sure, parents may start the shopping process by browsing on Amazon for what’s available, or look up what brands are offered at the nearest office supply store. But nearly half of all back-to-school shoppers visit a department store every year, so as important as your digital product experience is (and it is definitely important), at least half of your consumers are expecting an equally compelling experience in person, and leaving them hanging can result in lost sales, increased returns, and unhappy customers.

So whether you’re looking to help out those straggling parents looking for last-minute back-to-school deals, or you want to invest in a better, truly omnichannel product experience in time for the holiday season and Black Friday, let’s take a look at three ways your organization can provide consistent, engaging product experiences anywhere your customers may encounter your product.

3 Tips for Optimizing In-Person Product Experiences

1. Ensure in-store sales associates have up-to-date product information

“When will these mechanical pencils be back in stock?”

“Where can I find a waterproof, shatterproof, and stain-proof lunchbox?”

Which calculator is approved for use in the SAT?”

In-store sales associates deal with these questions and more, and besides a sunny disposition and the ability to memorize the layout of a store, one of the best tools a sales associate can have in their arsenal is information; stock availability, product materials, prices or available promotions, color and size variations, environmental impact, warranty support, and more.

Well-informed sales associates can:

• Identify opportunities for cross-selling or upselling based on a customer’s wants or needs
• Provide personalized assistance that leads to a positive and memorable shopping experience
• Educate shoppers on which products best fit their specific needs, leading to reduced return rates
• Improve customer loyalty and trust, as they become a representation of your brand

Like many things in life, providing this level of information is easier said than done. If your organization doesn’t have a centralized record of product information that can be easily syndicated to your retail partners or brick-and-mortar stores, then hunting down even the most basic availability or shipping information becomes an arduous, time-consuming task. By the time the in-store associates receive the information, it’ll be out of date. 

A constant flow of communication and real-time information updates is the name of the game when it comes to equipping in-store associates with the information they need to provide strong in-person customer experiences, and that can only happen with a centralized product record that supports syndication to physical channels or retailers.

2. Communicate your brand’s values everywhere and anywhere

Whether a customer comes to your eCommerce site, stumbles upon your product on Amazon, or sees your product on the shelf of their closest department store, you want to make sure that your brand and what you care about as a company is communicated effectively.

Packaging and marketing collateral with clear and concise messaging around your sustainability efforts or commitment to diversity and inclusion can be a powerful way to connect authentically with shoppers who share the same value set. And with two-fifths of consumers willing to pay more for a brand that communicates brand values, you could be missing out on a significant chunk of revenue by leaving out this crucial information.

Let’s take a look at a brand that does this very well; Patagonia. Known for its commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Patagonia effectively communicates its values and sustainability efforts through every aspect of their product experience. 

From statements on their clothing tags that encourage customers to repair and recycle the item rather than discard it to their website that provides detailed information about their supply chain practices and environmental campaigns, Patagonia’s values seep through every interaction a customer may have with their brand.

Source: https://thepuregear.com/review/light-and-variable-boardshorts/

Patagonia also provides the “Footprint Chronicles”, a tool on their website that allows customers to track the environmental and social impact of certain products. Not only does their site showcase individual product stories detailing the entire lifecycle of specific items, but it also provides data on factors such as energy use, carbon emissions, and water consumption associated with the production and transportation of their products. 

Patagonia does a great job of meeting their customers wherever they are, and communicating exactly what matters to them and what they’re doing to help. This leads us nicely to our last tip, which is all about creating cohesive journeys between offline and online experiences.

3. Power cohesive hybrid shopping journeys between online and offline touchpoints

Consumers don’t want just a digital experience, and they don’t want just an in-person shopping experience. In fact, 73% of consumers use more than one touchpoint during their shopping journey, and the average consumers wants at least six touchpoints before purchase.

By seamlessly blending the convenience of online shopping with the personal engagement of an in-store experience, these hybrid shopping journeys can encourage brand loyalty and trust, but require careful management and communication of product information across channels.

The Cheat Sheet for Truly Omnichannel Product Experiences

The backbone for cohesive hybrid shopping journeys is product information; it fuels both in-person and digital experiences, and ensures that the consumer is able to make educated purchasing decisions at any stage.

A central product information system, like a Product Information Management (PIM) solution, enables brands to manage all product data from a single location. Whether it’s dimensions, colors, prices, stock availability, or regulatory compliance data, everything lives in one place, eliminating inconsistencies, reducing manual errors, and streamlining the process of distributing product content across digital and physical touchpoints.

This becomes especially critical during the back-to-school season, when shoppers are comparing products rapidly, expecting accurate details to inform quick decisions. A discrepancy between a product description online and the physical item in-store can cause confusion, lost sales, or worse—returns. A centralized source of truth ensures that no matter where a shopper encounters your brand, they receive the same high-quality, reliable information.

And when that centralized product record is enhanced by AI capabilities, the benefits multiply.

AI can help fill in product data gaps at scale, enrich descriptions to be more SEO-friendly, and automatically generate variations of content tailored to different channels or personas. AI-powered insights can also identify anomalies in product data, such as a missing spec or miscategorized item, and flag them before they go live, reducing risk and improving efficiency. During a time-sensitive season like back-to-school, this can mean the difference between making the sale or losing a customer to a competitor.

AI can also analyze past performance trends and suggest adjustments to content based on what worked well last year, whether that’s emphasizing durability for backpacks or highlighting eco-friendly materials for lunchboxes. These intelligent enhancements not only improve the discoverability of products across channels, but also ensure that the content resonates with the back-to-school shopper’s mindset.

Together, a centralized PIM and AI deliver the accuracy, agility, and scalability needed to meet rising consumer expectations. They empower internal teams, support retail partners, and make sure that your brand shows up polished and prepared—everywhere your customers are shopping.

As the school year approaches and parents begin making their lists (and checking them twice), investing in reliable product information backed by smart technology is a back-to-school essential.

If you’re looking for help creating a centralized product record to support truly omnichannel product experiences, reach out to an Akeneo expert today.