Page 12 - BOSS Today Issue 18

Special Report - Back to School

right. We put units in the power
BTS 2013 LaTeST! aisles and by the tills. You have
to offer the right promotions.
For the education channels it’s
firstly a matter of getting the
The latest retail and BTS sales data from GfK shows that this market continues to flourish: products onto the catalogue
page.” However, one result of
n To date in 2013 (January - May), the retail channel has seen a slowdown in this market’s conservatism is
comparison to 2012 but still shows value growth of 6.1%. The key drivers of this that manufacturers can find
growth so far have been ballpoints, graphite pencils, highlighters and markers but also it very difficult to persuade
non-writing instrument areas such as staplers (25%) and notebooks/notepads (21%). retailers and schools to accept
new products. However, once
n Brands have been increasing and taking share from own label products so far in 2013 these have been accepted,
and this should help maintain brand presence leading into and throughout this conservatism becomes a
BTS 2013. very positive factor, as Knibbs
explains: “It’s hard to establish
n On-line purchases have also seen a 12.8% uplift over the BTS period for stationery a product in the BTS sector, but
products. This strong value growth is seen across most categories e.g. adhesive tapes once it’s on the core list it will
(19%), colouring pencils (53%) and scissors (36%). just sell and sell.”
Nevertheless, once products
Some of the data in this report has been supplied by GFK, have been successfully listed,
www.gfkrt.com/uk, the providers of the BOSS Market Tracking
service. For further information please visit www.bossfederation. manufacturers are advised to
co.uk and click on the Market Tracking Service page.
support them: for example,
Henkel’s approach is threefold
market appears to be an innate “We communicate to the
conservatism: as a result, teachers directly through
the BTS season is regarded the e-mail database that we
largely as a branded market, have built up. We also offer
as Pipet observes: “It’s very promotions such as free craft
much a branded opportunity. booklets for school orders
Our market share goes up to build the added value
dramatically in the BTS period. perception. It’s also vital to
Nobody really pushes private exhibit at the Education Show
label during BTS.” There are at the NEC in March each year:
exceptions to this, of course: that’s the main opportunity,
for more commoditised because the heads and bursars
products, such as paper, - the main school budget
schools will tend to buy at holders - will be there.”
the cheaper end, because the It is clear that the promotion
paper is used internally or for that tends to work best in the
communications to parents, BTS season depends partly on
so many OP dealers can the customer and product,
successfully sell private label retailers tend to flirt with own Show and tell but is generally based on
paper into schools. However, label one year and then come In order to take advantage price. While there are no set
amongst the mass market back to brands the next.” of this branded market ‘winners’, BOGOF, half price,
retailers the position tends to If brand is important, so opportunity, it’s clear that three for two etc appear to be
fluctuate, as Knibbs explains: is width of range: one of the the primary strategy for the most widely used. However,
“Pupils and students are very peculiarities of this market is manufacturers is simply to work as Knibbs warns, it is important
conscious of what is cool, and that consumers prefer to have hard to get their products into for manufacturers to be flexible
cheap products are not cool complementary products: pens, stores, as Pipet points out: “For when it comes to promotions:
and their parents don’t want to erasers, rulers, and notebooks retail, we have to make sure “A lot of the bigger retailers
embarrass their kids by getting that look the same and are at that we are in the right place in have their own campaigns for
them uncool products. So the around the same price point. the store. You’ve got to get this BTS, and you have to go with

12 BOSS TODAY | July/August 2013

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