The back-to-school shopping season is one of the busiest times of the year for many brands. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, ecommerce back-to-school shopping has soared to new heights. In this blog, explore answers to some common ecommerce back-to-school shopping season questions so that you can achieve your goals across the entire funnel and all of your marketing channels.
Ecommerce Back-to-School Shopping: A Q&A
Every business with back-to-school seasonality wants success during this important time of year, but not every business knows how to get there. Looking at the data from past years is a great starting point.
Should social media be part of my ecommerce back-to-school shopping strategy?
Last year, 35% of consumers said they planned to use social media sites to assist their back-to-school shopping to browse products, read or post reviews, find out about promotions, or receive coupons. To dive more into 2023 social media strategies, explore some of our latest resources:
- How Much Do Ads on Social Media Cost in 2023?
- Metaverse Marketing: The Latest Updates & News
- What Would a TikTok Ban Mean for Advertisers?
- 13 Ways to Harness Email Marketing to Boost Your Social Media & SEO
How is price sensitivity impacting consumers’ buying behaviors?
With rising inflation rates and an impending recession, many consumers are being cautious with their spending. 43% of back-to-school shoppers said they did more comparative shopping online last year, with 42% saying they shopped for sales more often than the year before. 35% said they would buy more store brand/generic products based on their lower cost.
With shoppers feeling concerned about rising prices, Prime Day could be the perfect opportunity to give your customers exactly what they’re looking for right as the ecommerce back-to-school shopping season starts warming up. Don’t miss your chance to make the most of it! Attend our Prepping for Prime Day 2023 webinar on Tuesday, May 16th at 2 pm EST to maximize your brand’s potential during Prime Day. Register now.
When do most shoppers do their back-to-school shopping?
August is the most popular month for back-to-school shopping, with 41% of consumers saying they shop for back-to-school supplies during this month, followed by 34% in July, 19% in June, and 6% in September.
Where do back-to-school shoppers do most of their shopping?
50% of consumers say they plan to shop for back-to-school items online and 45% plan to shop in department stores. 40% say they plan to shop at discount stores.
How much do shoppers spend on back-to-school items?
Back-to-school shopping spend has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic. US shoppers spent an estimated $36.9 billion on back-to-school items last year.
| Year | Back-to-School Shopping Spend in the US |
| 2019 | $26.2 billion |
| 2020 | $33.9 billion |
| 2021 | $37.1 billion |
| 2022 | $36.9 billion |
Let’s break that down by category and individual households. Last year, back-to-school shoppers spent:
- $12.5 billion ($293 per household) on electronics or computer-related equipment
- $11.3 billion ($264 per household) on clothing and accessories
- $7.2 billion ($168 per household) on shoes
- $6 billion ($140 per household) on actual school supplies
The average US household spent over $860 on back-to-school shopping in 2022.
| Year | Back-to-School Shopping Spend per US Household |
| 2019 | $696.70 |
| 2020 | $789.49 |
| 2021 | $848.90 |
| 2022 | $864.35 |
Do back-to-school shoppers favor certain brands?
Nike is the top brand among US teenagers, followed by American Eagle, lululemon, Adidas, and H&M. 75% of parents say their children have a moderate to high influence on their back-to-school shopping purchases.
48% of shoppers say brand familiarity is likely to drive their purchase of a specific brand during the back-to-school shopping season. If a brand they’re seeking isn’t available, 50% of back-to-school shoppers say they’ll buy from a different brand at the same retailer. 34% say they’ll go to a different retailer to find the brand they’re looking for.
The majority (60%) of back-to-school shoppers say they visit 2-3 stores for back-to-school shopping, with 24% saying they visit 4-5 stores and 12% saying they visit more than 5 stores.
Tying It All Together: Ecommerce Back-to-School Shopping
Don’t let one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year pass you by – especially if you’re in the electronics industry or the apparel industry. If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out some of the exciting wins our clients in these industries have achieved:
- Peter Millar Leverages Programmatic Ads for 2.6x CTR & 7.8% Brand Lift
- Footwear Brand Sees 39% Increase in Traffic After Site Replatform
- PUMA Drives Increased Conversion Value & ROAS Through Facebook Attribution
- Electronics Brand Increases Clicks by 84% & Conversion Value by 105% Using Google Smart Shopping
When you need a strategy to help you drive important seasonal wins, passing things off to a digital marketing agency that you actually trust can be a daunting task. At ROI Revolution, our experts act like a dedicated extension of your internal team so that you don’t have to worry about achieving your business objectives. To explore the untapped opportunities we could discover for you, send a message to our team today.
Sources
- Statista, Do you plan to use social media sites to assist in your back-to-school shopping?
- Statista, Back-to-school shoppers implementing savings-focused shopping behaviors due to the state of the economy in the United States from 2019 to 2022, by method.
- Statista, When consumers planned to shop for back-to-school supplies in the United States in 2022, by month.
- Statista, Most popular shopping destinations for back-to-school consumers in the United States in 2022.
- Statista, Total planned back-to-school expenditure in the United States from 2006 to 2022.
- Statista, Average planned back-to-school spending per household in the United States from 2004 to 2022.
- Statista, Top clothing brands amongst teenagers in the United States as of Spring 2022.
- Statista, Extent of children’s influence on back-to-school expenditure by parents in the United States in 2021, by product category.
- Statista, Which is most likely to drive your purchase of a specific brand during the 2022-23 back-to-school (BTS) season?
- Statista, Leading course of action if preferred brand for back-to-school (BTS) shopping is not available among consumers in the United States in 2022.
- Statista, Number of stores households with children plan to visit for back-to-school shopping in the United States as of June 2022.
