Back-to-School Marketing in Kazakhstan: What Brands Need to Know

Back-to-school marketing in Kazakhstan is today one of the key areas for brands targeting families and youth. According to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in 2025, around 3.9 million students will go to school, including 370,000 first graders.

For retailers, manufacturers of school supplies, clothing, and electronics, this is a signal to launch active campaigns. The attention race will be won by those who appear on the audience’s smartphones.

We share insights on how much parents plan to spend on preparing children for school, which products are popular, and how to build communication with customers through in-app advertising.

On average, school preparation starts one month before school begins

According to Yandex’s 2025 online survey, 51% of parents start preparing their children for school one month before classes begin. This must be taken into account to build an effective back-to-school marketing strategy in Kazakhstan.

During this period, investments in media advertising grow, increasing by 13% in August.

According to the parent survey, the priority items include stationery, clothing, shoes, accessories, bags, backpacks, briefcases, textbooks, workbooks, creative supplies, and sports equipment.

However, the back-to-school season also allows brands to promote study furniture, household goods, home appliances, and pharmacy products.

Informing users about these products can be done through mobile advertising. Parents and students actively use apps, meaning brands can showcase their products there. In-app formats allow brands to stand out from competitors and encourage the audience to make purchases.

The peak of search interest for these product categories occurs between August and November. This is due to the fact that 50% of parents purchase the essentials before September 1, with the remaining items bought later. Products that are often bought after school begins include workbooks and additional educational materials.

In September, parents also search for extracurricular activities for their children. Special interest is seen in:

• Tutors (+87%)
• English language (+76%)
• Art school (+36%)
• IT courses (+27%)

This opens up the “second wave” of demand in September. Parents search for specific areas (languages, creativity, technology). This means advertising campaigns must segment the audience clearly and offer relevant solutions.

This task is solved through mobile advertising. It allows precise targeting and launching campaigns with bright, memorable creatives.

Audience features

Parents are responsible for purchasing school supplies. However, depending on age, children become involved in school preparations:

• Grades 1–4: Parents are fully involved as children lack experience in buying all necessary items.
• Grades 5–8: Children become more independent and begin influencing parents’ purchases.
• Grades 9–11: As parents are often unaware of their children’s interests, and teens often work part-time, the choice of school supplies mainly lies with the children.
  

For example, 53% of respondents said that school uniforms are chosen together, but the final decision is made by the child. This shows that children actively participate in the process, and their brand loyalty can influence the purchase decision.

Furthermore, 88% of students receive pocket money. Two-thirds of students from grades 5 to 11 use bank cards. This creates additional opportunities to improve back-to-school marketing in Kazakhstan and makes communication with students directly important.

How much are parents willing to spend on back-to-school products?

According to Yandex’s survey, 69% of parents buy mid-priced clothing in mass-market stores. The middle segment is chosen by 28% of respondents.

When choosing clothing for school, parents pay attention to quality, naturalness, durability, compliance with school requirements, discounts, and design.

All these advantages can be showcased through special Rich Media banner mechanics. For example, at BYYD, we create creatives in slider, menu, and animation formats. More.

Purchases are evenly distributed between online and offline stores, which shows the importance of omnichannel strategies for businesses.

Electronics purchase channels:

• 26% prefer online
• 45% choose omnichannel
• 29% prefer offline stores
  

Electronics purchases are an important budget item for families. 94% of parents research information in advance to choose the right technology.

23% of respondents are ready to spend between 200,001 and 350,000 tenge on electronics for the new school year. Parents plan to spend an average of 174,000 tenge on study furniture.

Overall, every second parent intends to spend between 70,000 and 200,000 tenge on school preparations. According to Yandex’s survey, 48% save money for back-to-school purchases in advance.

Despite this, interest in loans increases 2.4 times. Parents often buy clothing, shoes, and furniture with their own money, while electronics and household appliances are typically purchased on credit.

Back-to-school marketing in Kazakhstan: numbers and recommendations

BYYD tips:

• Offer ready-made sets. Parents prefer buying pre-packed bundles of stationery, clothing, and study materials.
  
• Emphasize quality and safety. This is especially important for parents of first graders.
  
• Use digital channels. Content strategies on social media, online consultations, and video guides on school preparations build trust and increase brand awareness.
  
• Take demand peaks into account. Interest in school products is highest in August, but demand persists after September 1.
  
• Launch advertising campaigns before the back-to-school season begins. Don’t overlook delayed demand. This is an opportunity to introduce your brand to the audience and build trust in advance.
  
• Engage all audience segments. It’s not only parents who make purchase decisions—children also have an impact.
  
• The back-to-school season suits every segment. It’s not just about stationery and clothing. This period can also be effectively used, for example, for the pharmaceutical business.
  
• Choose advertising formats that increase user engagement. For example, interactive banners.
  

In-app advertising is an effective tool to strengthen back-to-school marketing in Kazakhstan. Promotion in mobile apps increases brand awareness, as it interacts with the target audience where they spend most of their time.

Interactive banners engage users and help brands stand out during the high-demand period before the school year begins.

Back-to-School in Kazakhstan is a hot season for brands. In-app advertising is exactly what’s needed to boost awareness and attract customers.

Why?

• Interactive formats = higher engagement
• Precise targeting = more sales
• Get noticed by the audience before the school year starts!
  

Want to launch an advertising campaign with BYYD?

• Submit a request on our website 
• Email us at hello@byyd.me