Tap into our student insights to see what students will be buying for Welcome Week – and when.
When will students be shopping for this Welcome Week?
While Welcome Week itself is a strong time period for student sales every year, future students like to make certain purchases in the weeks and months before – with the most popular months being December and January. This coincides with the Christmas holidays for Australian students, as well as for international students from countries with a distinct winter holiday period.
With a season of gifting and consumerism falling right before the start of term, students often use the Christmas holiday period to get the ball rolling on Welcome Week shopping – whether that’s a brand new wardrobe, a new laptop or phone, or their gym membership for the coming year, students will most definitely be on the lookout for all the best post-Christmas deals.
What will they be buying?
In terms of what they’re buying beforehand, stationery and study supplies comes out on top as the most popular category for students to spend on in the run-up to Welcome Week – with 68% opting to shop ahead for their stationery. Over half of students (54%) look to buy books and new clothes before Welcome Week, while a further 49% are on the lookout for new tech to start the academic year. This year, you can also expect homewares to be higher on the list for new students looking to switch up their in-person and remote learning timetable.
Once Welcome Week is underway, students shopping lists typically adapt to reflect the university lifestyle – after all, Welcome Week is a time for students to mingle and get used to their surroundings. During this time, 46% of students are buying food & drink, 40% are spending their dollars on eating out during Welcome Week, 36% are on the lookout for stationery, and 33% are buying fashion items.
Welcome Week is after all a time for students to mingle and get used to their surroundings, and after a year of disrupted learning and lockdowns, expect events and activities to be high on a student’s agenda for the upcoming semester.
International students
Of course, there’s an important distinction between international students and domestic students’ buying habits. While domestic students have the whole summer break to pick up essentials – and can utilise the Christmas gifting period to stock up on expensive purchases – international students will be making most of their key purchases when they move to Australia.
It’s crucial to have a Welcome Week campaign that starts well in advance for the domestic students, but make sure not to wrap things up too early – you’ll miss a key opportunity to engage with international students when they arrive. Spreading the world via social media, or promoting your brand on-campus during Welcome Week itself are some of the best ways you can reach a wider cohort of students for this crucial retail period.
Get to grips with your student marketing strategy this Welcome Week by accessing our Ultimate Guide today.
