{"id":22433,"date":"2023-12-15T13:41:46","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bloomreach.com\/library\/www.bloomreach.commerce-pulse-traffic-and-sales-soar-into-the-new-school-year"},"modified":"2024-09-17T10:17:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T10:17:25","slug":"env-bloomreach-stagepro-kinsta-cloudmerce-pulse-traffic-and-sales-soar-into-the-new-school-year","status":"publish","type":"library","link":"https:\/\/www.bloomreach.com\/en\/blog\/env-bloomreach-stagepro-kinsta-cloudmerce-pulse-traffic-and-sales-soar-into-the-new-school-year","title":{"rendered":"Bloomreach Commerce Pulse: Traffic and Sales Soar into the New School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: <\/strong>Our Bloomreach Commerce Pulse monthly articles explore the most interesting Bloomreach customer data points and provide key insights for ecommerce. They reveal current trends and help businesses to fully understand the digital commerce<\/a> marketplace.<\/em><\/p>\n

As summer turns into fall, and we mark the unofficial end of the season with Labor Day, consumer attention is shifting too. Shoppers are prepping for the colder months and holiday season, and just as we\u2019ve seen so far in 2021, online continues to grow as the primary channel for many consumers.<\/p>\n

In August 2021 we saw continued strong growth number over August 2020, with direct to consumer retail and DTC brand sales up 24.98% year-over-year on relatively flat traffic, with a huge increase of 31.01% in average order size a key driver in higher sales volumes. Consumers are spending more.  And year-to-date (YTD), both traffic (17.38%) and sales (34.20%) are also up, showing that there seems to be no slow down in consumer spending and continued adoption of digital channels. The convenience of online shopping is something that consumers have come to rely on and shopping online is now a  part of their routine, especially as kids get back to school, schedules become packed, and folks begin to prepare for the holidays.<\/p>\n

In particular, Bloomreach Commerce Pulse data for Bloomreach\u2019s North American customers for the month of August indicates 46.09% year-to-date (YTD) sales growth \u2014 impressive growth over the pandemic acceleration of 2020. Average Order Size (AOS) has risen by 39.30% year-to-date (YTD) and 34.41% year-over-year (YoY) in August. In the context of back-to-school and holiday season shopping, this makes complete sense: for example, the North American region shows a year-over-year (YoY) spike of 72% in searches for backpacks, school backpacks, and school bags in August.<\/p>\n

In the United Kingdom and European Union, year-over-year (YoY)  for traffic (6.00%%) and sales (6.82%) were much more modest but year-to-date (YTD) there continues to be healthy progress for the region, with traffic (19.89%) and sales (27.65%) both up. We continue to believe a key reason for the differences in growth between North America and the UK and EU is the macro-economic situation and overall consumer confidence, with the US, in particular, showing strong overall economic conditions.<\/p>\n

Continued Prep for School and Fall Festivities <\/h3>\n

Piggybacking off of back-to-school trends we saw in July, August continued the growth pattern and was dominated by school-related searches and purchases.<\/p>\n

For general apparel, both searches and traffic were on the rise, with sales increasing 11.67% year-over-year (YoY) compared to August 2020 and 5.87% month-over-month (MoM) compared to July 2021. These increases both speak to increased demand for back-to-school, and a seasonal shift As shoppers are focusing on refreshing their wardrobes they are increasingly doing that online.<\/p>\n

As we look at the top 20 most searched terms in August 2021 vs August 2020. In August 2021\u2019s top five search terms included mainly apparel and back-to-school items and \u2018Halloween\u2019 came in as the seventh most searched term. Notably, in August of 2020, three out of the top five search terms were pandemic related: \u2018disinfecting wipes\u2019, \u2018face mask\u2019, and \u2018Lysol\u2019. <\/p>\n

The North American region saw a year-over-year (YoY) spike of 72% in searches for backpacks, school backpacks, and school bags from August 2020 to August 2021. And when it comes to sales, backpacks and uniforms experienced the highest volume with year-over-year (YoY) sales of backpacks growing by about 48% and uniforms by 60%. <\/p>\n

And although American consumers, businesses, and schools seem eager to spend on exciting purchases like clothing and accessories, they\u2019re also investing in the appropriate tools needed to go back to school safely.<\/p>\n

In August, there was a 67% year-over-year (YoY) spike of searches for kid\u2019s face masks, presumably as parents gear up for everyday mask-wearing at school. Even B2B players, like back-to-school supply retailers, saw a heavy increase in sales and revenue in the past month, compared to July. This is seen most prominently in sales for safety and sanitation products: sanitizing products and stations, privacy shields, desk barriers for distancing, infrared thermometers, and kid\u2019s face masks.<\/p>\n

Both businesses and consumers alike seem eager to get back to a more normal autumn and are doing so with safety in mind.<\/p>\n

Luxury Rebound \u2014 Time to Go Out in Style Again<\/h3>\n

As was the case in July, the Luxury segment saw another month of steady growth in August 2021.<\/p>\n

As economic uncertainty from 2020 continues to fade, the luxury market has made an incredible comeback. Traffic is up 47.58% year-over-year (YoY) and sales are up 50.41% in the same timeframe. As more Americans get back to work and out into the world, they\u2019re eager to spend their money on non-essentials (or at least search and plan for when they are ready to make the investment in luxury products). <\/p>\n

This could also be a direct reflection of our new stage in the pandemic: events and special occasions are happening more and more. Now, we\u2019re learning to put on safe, COVID-conscious events \u2014 just take New York Fashion Week for example \u2014 which will showcase the best of luxury in person this September. Average Order Size (AOS) was up month-over-month (MoM) by 4.70% and year-over-year (YoY) by 8.69% in August. <\/p>\n

Consumers and fashionistas alike are looking to add to their luxury collection, and the positive growth in this sector is definitely an indication of that.<\/p>\n

Home Improvement Isn\u2019t Cooling Down for Fall<\/h3>\n

Similar to July, August has seen a great deal of positive movement for the Home Improvement category. While traffic may be down by -13% month-over-month (MoM) when compared to July \u2014 the category is most definitely heating up. Both sales and Average Order Size are up month-over-month and year-over-year. <\/p>\n

Sales of Home Improvement goods increased by 1.80% month-over-month (MoM) and by a whopping 94.70% year-over-year (YoY) in August. Additionally, Average Order Size has spiked by month-over-month (12.30%), year-over-year (198.55%), and year-to-date (22.40%). <\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that the items consumers were searching and saving for during the summer months have finally been purchased \u2014 and as consumers head home from vacations and time away, they\u2019re eager to invest in their properties and get into home improvement projects before winter chills set in.<\/p>\n

Grocery Continues Its Ongoing Ecommerce Growth<\/h3>\n

The Grocery sector is continuing to see stellar growth \u2014 and riding on the massive gains it saw during the peak of the pandemic. For many, the Stay-At-Home orders meant needing to use popular grocery shopping apps, like Instacart or other store-specific services, for the first time and depending less on take-out. <\/p>\n

The novelty of these apps and services may have worn off, but consumers are still flocking to grocery stores online to get their shopping lists taken care of. Grocery sales are up year-over-year (YoY) by +97%, on top of the already sizeable gains we saw in 2020. And while Average Order Size (AOS) has remained mainly unchanged, there\u2019s been a jump in conversion rate \u2014 it is up by +72.78% year-over-year (YoY).<\/p>\n

What the August Data Tells Us<\/h3>\n

Overall, August has closely resembled July in numbers, but with a few key trends:<\/p>\n