Amazon Elbows in on BTS Shopping

As it has been for other retailers for years, back-to-school is becoming an increasingly important season for Amazon.The retailer got a running start with its Prime Day sale in early July. In the first two weeks of the month, Amazon grew back-to-school sales 35% compared to last year, according to One Click Retail. The e-commerce research firm indicates that figure is nearly four times last year's bump and suggests a growth potential of more than 80% for the full season for products including electronics such as laptops and tablets, office supplies, youth apparel and footwear.Instant PickupTo keep momentum going halfway through the season, Amazon has unveiled a new service that dramatically shortens fulfillment time at five of the 22 staffed pickup locations it operates on college campuses across the U.S.: Los Angeles and Berkley, CA; Columbus, OH; College Park, MD; and Atlanta, GA.Free for Prime and Prime Student members, the service offers a curated selection of daily essentials that are available for "Instant Pickup" in two minutes or less. The eligible lineup spans several hundred fast selling items at each location, including snacks, beverages, personal care products, phone chargers and tech essentials including Amazon's Echo, Fire and Kindle devices. Shoppers place orders via Amazon's mobile application and receive barcodes to access the items, which get loaded into lockers by Amazon employees."As shopping behaviors continue to evolve, customers consistently tell us that they want items even faster," Amazon's director of student programs Ripley MacDonald said in a media release. "We're excited about bringing this experience to more customers soon."Amazon didn't specify a pricing structure for Instant Pickup items, though Reuters reported they may be cheaper than standard Amazon orders from time to time.Back to School EssentialsOn its website, Amazon offers a "Back to School Essentials" shop that visitors can browse by grade, trends, popular categories or deals. There also are items for teachers. A home page banner ad and a "Savings on Back to School" link prominently positioned to the right of Amazon's search bar link to the destination. Within the shop, display ads additionally:promise Amazon Prime credit cardholders 15% back on select essentials — 10% more than the everyday 5% cardholders already earn.direct visitors to Amazons' TenMarks Education business for personalized online math and enrichment programs.promote Amazon Business memberships for institutional pricing for educators.Among brand activity, RB's Lysol and Johnson & Johnson offer seasonal showcases. (See Related Updates below.)Cause MarketingAn ad within the Essentials shop infuses the activity with a cause element, inviting shoppers to "fill a backpack for a child in need" by donating to Unicef USA with Amazon Pay. The donation landing page indicates what supplies can be purchased with varying donation amounts, from 200 pencils for $6 to 40 exercise books, 80 pencils and five textbooks for $46.

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