Report: The five types of social back-to-school consumer

Boston – Retailers trying to successfully attract business from back-to-school shoppers need to understand the different types of customer segments they must target. According to a new report from social media analytics software provider Crimson Hexagon, back-to-school consumers fall into five broad categories based on how they broadcast their goals, choices, experiences, and opinions about back-to-school shopping on social media.



The five types of social back-to-school consumer are:



The Lifecaster: The Lifecaster broadcasts his or her daily activities through social media. During the back-to-school season, parents and students make multiple trips to various retailers to complete their school shopping amid other activities, including school physicals, last-minute errands and appointments, and trying to enjoy the last days of summer.



The TV Junkie: TV audiences are tweeting and posting in growing numbers, and the TV Junkie is tweeting and posting about back-to-school shopping as well.



The Enthusiast: The Enthusiast loves back-to-school shopping, and treats it like a holiday. Black Friday and the winter holidays and back-to-school are the two biggest seasons for most retailers. Crimson Hexagon analysis finds that back-to-school time also stands out to shoppers as a season to look forward to with enthusiasm.



The Deal-Seeker: With so many items to buy before heading back to the classroom or college, The Deal-Seeker is looking to save money. The Deal-Seeker shares shopping conquests, such as how much money they saved and how many items they got for a low price, with their social networks.



The Procrastinator: School starts at the end of the summer, whether The Procrastinator has crossed everything off of his list or not. The Procrastinator knows that time is getting short, yet maybe has yet to start back-to-school shopping, or she still needs a few crucial items before heading back to school.