Build a Better Back-to-School Assortment with Flipside

Back-to-School is one of the busiest buying seasons of the year, but the strongest
assortments don't stop selling once students return to the classroom.
After more than 35 years in the industry, one thing we've continued seeing is that the
retailers who perform best think beyond the school season. Presentation, display, and
organization products aren't just for classrooms anymore. They're used every day in
businesses, offices, colleges, retail stores, trade shows, community events, and homes.
That's why building a great assortment isn't about carrying one product. It's about
creating a one-stop shop where customers can find everything they need in one place.
Retailers benefit from larger basket sizes, more cross-selling opportunities, and repeat
business throughout the year.

Think Beyond the Classroom

Project boards, dry erase boards, and easels may be known as Back-to-School
products, but they're also some of the most versatile categories you can carry. They're
used across education, business, retail, and creative markets, giving retailers
opportunities to generate sales well beyond the first day of school.

Project Boards

Most people think project boards are only for science fairs. Looking at our market research, that's
no longer the case.

Today, they're just as likely to be used for business presentations, retail signage, job
fairs, trade shows, community events, churches, and creative projects. That continued
demand is one of the reasons we've continued investing in this category.

Flipside offers corrugated cardboard, foam board, and premium corrugated plastic
project boards in a variety of sizes and colors, making it easy to build an assortment for
nearly every customer. Pair them with Project Board Kits, Headers, and Letters to
create a true one-stop shopping experience.

Our sales data backs it up. Project board sales increased by more than 50% between
2018 and 2023, with products like 30048 White Foam Project Board, 30046 White
Corrugated Project Board Packs, 30508 Total Black Foam Project Board, 30832
36" × 48" Project Board Kit, and 30067 Black Corrugated Project Board continuing
to be some of our strongest performers.

Dry Erase Boards & Chalkboards

Walk into almost any classroom, office, or home today and you'll probably find a dry
erase board.

They're still one of the most requested classroom tools, but they're also being used for
homework stations, family organization centers, meal planning, conference rooms,
tutoring, and hybrid workspaces. That's what makes them such a dependable year-round category.

One thing we've spent a lot of time focusing on is making this assortment even stronger.
We've continued reviewing pricing across our dry erase category to stay competitive
while expanding our product line with more sizes, features, and price points.

Our assortment includes everything from framed and frameless boards to magnetic and
non-magnetic options, planning boards, classroom packs, learning mats, answer
paddles, combo boards, stickables, and specialty boards. Products like 10912 Nipped
Corner Dry Erase Boards and 10012-12 Dry Erase Boards continue performing well,
and we've also seen growing demand for black chalkboards as schools, retailers,
restaurants, and businesses move away from traditional green boards.

Easels

Easels are another category that's grown well beyond the classroom.

Teachers use them for lessons, retailers for promotional signage, businesses for
meetings, artists for displays, and event planners for temporary signage. That variety of
uses has made easels one of our fastest-growing presentation categories.

As demand has increased, we've continued expanding our easel assortment with more
styles, sizes, and price points so retailers have more options to meet different customer
needs.

Some of our top performers include the 31200 Natural Wood Dry Erase & Chalk
Marquee Easel, 17425 Adjustable Dry Erase & Chalkboard Easel with Paper Roll,
and 50002 Magnetic Desktop Easel Set. Merchandising easels alongside project
boards and dry erase products creates another opportunity to increase basket size
while helping customers find everything they need in one visit.

Looking Beyond Back-to-School

The best Back-to-School assortments don't end in September. They continue
generating sales because they serve more than just classrooms.



"The best BTS assortments do more than meet seasonal demand. They are
creating year-round sales opportunities. By offering products that support classrooms,
home learning, offices, retail displays, events, and creative projects, retailers can
maximize inventory turns long after the first day of school. Flipside's broad assortment
makes it easy to build a destination category that keeps customers coming back
throughout the year."  - Crystal Menner, Flipside Account Manager

Whether you're planning your Back-to-School assortment or looking for ways to grow
sales throughout the year, Flipside has the products, experience, and variety to help
you build a category your customers can rely on.

Contact our Sales team to discuss assortment recommendations, product opportunities,
and ways to expand your offering with Flipside.