Accessorizing Back-to-School Customers (with Tech)

School’s back; so are students thirsting for tech adjacent items. C-stores are satisfying this demand.

Back to school sales aren’t anything new, but they sure have changed. Clothes and traditional supplies such as pens, folders, and backpacks remain fruitful sources of retail revenue, at least in cases where the operator has positioned themselves to take advantage.

It’s no secret, though, that over the past 20 or so years, personal technology has become an increasingly dominant part of the back-to-school mix, at all educational levels. There’s no shortage of ways students rely on tech, both personally and as part of their studies. The demand for smartphones and other portable computerization has never been greater.

In addition to core computing hardware and software, though, students also seek out accessories that enhance their basic tech in some way—flash drives, headphones, chargers, cases—from manufacturers that have sprung up and thrived adjacent to the suppliers of personal hardware and software.

Leading convenience retailers have long known that these personal tech accessories provide sales opportunities, which tend to work well within the store because they are so compact and easy to display. In a way the back-to-school season is like any other special season or holiday, so successful retailers treat it like one, using specific messaging and promotional programs, like giveaways targeting students in the local area.

CSP Magazine reported on how tech accessories are even becoming a year-round profit center, not just restricted to the time of year when students return. Love’s chain is an indication of this realization on the part of retailers, and has so fully committed to the concept, the tech department at certain locations resembles an electronics store.

College campus convenience stores led the way in selling tech accessories year round, since they have a built-in market for it. Take a look at technical accessories page for brick-and-mortar convenience stores at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and the University of Florida, and you’ll find an impressive range of items, many of them branded with the University’s mascot or logo, something c-stores are free to do as well!

We mentioned above, that the ability to profit from non-traditional or seasonal inventory items becomes much easier with a robust computerized inventory management system, such as the one that is part of SSCS’s Computerized Daily Book (CDB) back office system. You can get definitive answers regarding which accessories are moving and which aren’t, with the option to adjust stocking thresholds and pricing, if needed. You can also see sales trends in a wider historical context and whether it makes sense for you to carry what you stocked last back-to-school season. Or you might find that it’s worthwhile to take the plunge and sell accessories all year round.

If you think you may be overlooking profit potential stemming from the sale of tech accessories, or have questions regarding any other aspect of the merchandise in your inventory, please call us (800) 927-7277 and we’ll show you how our technology can provide a clear picture of your ideal inventory mix.