Score more sales this Back to School season

Summer is finally here, and one of the largest sales events to be ready for this season is Back-to-School. In the past, one might have associated Back to School shopping with patrolling down store aisles while checking off every item on your child’s list. However, online Back to School shopping has exploded over the last few years, with millions of shoppers flocking to online marketplaces like eBay to secure their school supplies. From electronics to backpacks to dorm room essentials, there are so many eBay categories and products that peak during the Back-to-School season.

We gathered the top trends from 2022’s Back to School sales to help our sellers capitalize on the season. Read on to discover how to drive higher sales during this year’s Back to School season with premium placements on eBay and suggested keywords to help your listings get more visibility.

Top back-to-school insights 

Fashion is a notable category that buyers shopped for during their Back to School shopping from mid-July to late-August. Over one fourth of the entire year’s sales of Kids Backpack and Bags were made within the Back to School season, with the biggest lift in sales of the year occurring in early-mid August. Other School Supplies grew in sales continuously throughout the season before hitting a 125% lift in sales by the start of the school year.¹

When heading back to school, many students look to upgrade their consumer electronics, such as tablets or phones. PC Laptops & Netbooks saw a 23% lift in sales at the start of the Back to School season, while Apple Laptops saw a 14% lift near the end of the season, when compared to purchases made across the rest of the year.¹ The top searched categories relating to Back to School included Cell Phones & Smartphones and Headphones.

With eBay being a go-to marketplace for electronics sales, it is critical to take advantage of the season and get your listings in front of shoppers first. With Promoted Listings Advanced, you can secure your listings at the top of search results.

Expect big lifts in sales of school supplies for college students

Many high school grads head out to college over the summer, ready to settle into their dorms or first apartments. To fill up their new spaces last year, students shopped on eBay to find their home essentials. In the Home & Garden category, Bathroom Storage & Organization and Bathroom Baskets & Storage saw over 80% and 30% lifts in sales respectively at the start of August when compared to the rest of the year as students got settled into their new homes.¹ Decals, Sticker & Vinyl Art and Futons, Frames & Covers also saw their biggest Back to School lifts in sales in early August.  

Sheets, Posters & Prints, and Bookcases & Shelving were high on shoppers lists according to eBay searches, they ranked higher in searches than other similar Home & Garden categories over the Back-to-School season. 

Among the top searched keywords over this period were backpack, iphone, iphone 11, jordan, laptop, macbook pro, and apple watch. Electronics and fashion remained top of mind with eBay shoppers as the next school season approached.¹

Among the top searched keywords over this period were adidas, airpods pro, backpack, books, iphone, iphone 11, jordan, laptop, macbook pro, and smart watch. Electronics and fashion remained top of mind with eBay shoppers as the school season approached.

Boost your seasonal sales with Promoted Listings

With so many shoppers browsing for these items on eBay, you can take advantage of our advertising solutions to efficiently manage your back-to-school product listings and keep them in-front of potential buyers. Promoted Listings Advanced gives sellers a leg up on their seasonal competition by offering preferred access to premium placements on eBay to help encourage more sales. 

Being a cost-per-click advertising solution with advanced campaign management options like keyword targeting and budget controls, you only have to pay when your ad is clicked. You can find value in features like suggested keywords* and suggested bids** to help take the guesswork out of where to start and simplify the campaign set-up process.

Interested in learning more about Promoted Listings or implementing your own ads campaign? Increase your online business sales today with Promoted Listings Advanced. Sellers see 50% more sales, on average, when using Promoted Listings Advanced, compared to non-promoted items.²