In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss the 2020 back-to-school season, including an article about this topic recently published by Total Retail titled, “How Retailers Are Navigating the Great Back-to-School Unknown.” The article was authored by Lauren Cooley, senior vice president of retail and brand solutions at RetailMeNot. Cooley notes that retailers and consumers are in uncharted territory, and tentative consumer behavior is driving a high degree of anxiety among retailers. Uncertainty around both the timing and logistics of returning to school has resulted in a delay for the usually predictable back-to-school shopping season.

The question for retailers at this time is clear: How can they pivot promotional and messaging strategies to be both competitive and compelling for consumers during this unprecedented back-to-school season? In her article, Cooley offers a few ideas for converting back-to-school shoppers this season. To read the full article, click here.