With back-to-school here, plenty of parents are sending their kids off to college and wondering if they’ll remember to eat right, brush and floss, and generally care for themselves in the absence of their lifelong caregivers. What can businesses do to help ease the natural anxieties of parents and meet student needs simultaneously?

Enter the care package. Sure, parents can assemble their own personalized bundles of goods to ship to lonely students away from home for the first time, but this can be a time-consuming process for busy, overworked adults, no matter how much they love and miss their kids. Whether families are sending care packages to students, deployed military members, or loved ones going through hard times, for example, retailers can offer convenience to customers and improve sales in the process by pre-bundling care packages and marketing them accordingly.

Convenience for Customers

College kids need plenty of stuff now that they’re away from the fully-stocked kitchen and round-the-clock laundry service they enjoyed at home. According to a report by Today, students could use a slew of items, such as microwavable and non-perishable food items; toiletries and health products like soap, aspirin, Band-Aids, and nail files; bedding and other linens; office supplies like replacement ink cartridges; and extras like dust cloths and seasonal items (scarves, umbrellas, etc.). Many students also like gift cards so they can pick out needed items on their own.

Putting together a care package can be a major hassle for busy parents, which is why so many companies not only market their back-to-school wares, but also design care packages that bundle various items students might need. This added level of convenience can help parents to save time and endear them to your brand.

Dollars and Sense

Of course, someone is doing the extra work, and time is money. If you’re going to assemble these care packages for customers, you’ll have to gain some benefit. The good news is, companies that come up with popular bundles can entice new customers and increase sales in the process.

By offering this added convenience and marketing it in clever ways, with themes and different levels and price points of care packages, you have the opportunity to not only boost sales, but encourage customers to spend more than they might otherwise. You could even offer repeat delivery, like a subscription service, that will send monthly or weekly boxes to students throughout the school year.

When kids leave home, parents don’t stop worrying about their welfare, and you can ease their minds with pre-arranged care packages designed to add convenience for parents and a connection to home for students.

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