The average U.S. back-to-school season will see an average spending of $661, with several categories of products seeing strong demand

In the United States, the back-to-school season is the second most popular shopping season after Christmas. 4-6 weeks before school starts, students and parents will start to purchase the items they need. The shopping peak usually starts from late July to mid-August and lasts until September. Every year during the back-to-school season, sellers will make a lot of money from it, and this year's back-to-school season is different from the past.

After two years of offline suspension, many schools have reopened as the epidemic slowed down this year. Affected by inflation, the prices of student clothing and supplies continue to rise. Coupled with the fact that a large number of American students have returned to class this year, the United States will usher in the strongest back-to-school shopping season this year.

U.S. back-to-school sales to reach $34.4 billion

Deloitte surveyed 1,200 parents of school-age children in the United States and found that back-to-school spending this year will reach $34.4 billion, an increase of 5.8% over the same period last year.

The survey shows that although one-third of American families say their financial situation is worse than last year, they will still increase their spending on students returning to school, and it is expected that the average per capita spending this year will be $661, an increase of 8% over the same period last year. It is worth mentioning that this figure has increased by 27% compared to before the epidemic.

Stephen Rogers, managing director of Deloitte's Consumer Industry Center, said that during this year's back-to-school season, many American consumers are using their savings to make purchases, and some are starting to use credit for consumption.

To cover back-to-school costs, U.S. consumers are cutting spending in other areas, with total spending expected to be in line with last year's record $37 billion, according to new data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF), the world's largest retail trade group.

It should be noted that this year's back-to-school shopping season in the United States is expected to be earlier than in previous years. The main reason is that most consumers are worried that supply chain disruptions in the United States may affect inventory, so they will rush to buy goods in advance.

NRF CEO Matthew Shay said American families are doing everything they can to afford the back-to-school season, including reducing discretionary spending and purchasing non-branded items for daily consumption.

Back-to-school footwear demand in the U.S. is strong, with low-priced products popular

Sellers need to note that American consumers' shopping plans for this year's back-to-school season have also changed.

Recently, KPMG released its latest research on American consumers' back-to-school shopping plans, with more than 1,300 consumers participating in the survey.

Data shows that 56% of American consumers plan to spend more on back-to-school this year compared to 2021, with 82% saying this is due to rising product prices.

Most U.S. consumers expect to spend the most on school supplies, followed by apparel and footwear.

Most American consumers are concerned about the increasing inflation, with 74% of them being very concerned about inflation. Among Generation X respondents, 57% said they are very concerned about inflation.

Due to inflation, the price of footwear products increased by 5.8%, but this did not affect consumers.

Scott Rankin, head of KPMG's consumer and retail consulting, said that most industries have been affected by inflation, but the sales of the shoe industry are relatively stable because American consumers would rather reduce their dining expenses and buy their favorite shoes.

As offline social activities resume, American consumers are beginning to pay more attention to their outfits when going out.

In a recent KPMG report, 80% of respondents said apparel and footwear were a significant part of their back-to-school spending.

However, given rising prices, some consumers may prefer to choose low-price shopping channels, such as second-hand platforms, in order to meet the shopping needs of the back-to-school season.

Data shows that from June 1 to 14, searches for backpacks on the US second-hand platform ThredUp increased by 48%, and searches for children's products increased by 50%.

At the same time, the low-price and low-cost industries also showed strong growth momentum. Although most consumers said in the survey that mass merchants and online platforms are their main shopping channels, more and more consumers are flocking to US dollar stores (Dollar Tree) due to inflation.

Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, said many consumers will turn to off-price stores to buy back-to-school essentials, such as notebooks and pens. In order to get the items they want at a low cost, consumers often choose to shop at Walmart or Dollar Tree.

Brands welcome back-to-school season with deep discounts and new marketing strategies

As parents pay more attention to the price of back-to-school products, discounts are expected to play a bigger role. In order to attract the attention of parents and students, some retailers will use new marketing strategies such as direct mail and influencer marketing.

Back-to-school shopping season means big business for Hydros, a brand that sells water filters and water bottles. On average, the brand sees a 15% to 20% sales surge this time of year. However, unlike past back-to-school shopping seasons, this year the brand is trying to get consumers to spend more money.

Taking into account the budget of consumers, Hydros participated in Amazon Prime Day and offered a uniform 20% discount on all SKUs, as the company expected that it would be a good place for budget-conscious parents to buy goods. The brand's revenue in 2021 was about $1 million, and it is expected to grow by 50% this year.

Retail giant Target also announced additional discounts for its back-to-school promotions, saying it would offer 20% off one-time purchases for college students at Target Circle and extending its Teacher Ready campaign, which offers discounts on school supplies for teachers, for six weeks. Walmart, on the other hand, also presented consumers with a list of back-to-school essentials at low prices.

In addition to offering discounts, influencer marketing and direct mail are new ways for some brands to “win” the back-to-school season.

To promote its Prime Day marketing campaign, Hydros tapped several influencers for marketing via TikTok, while French Toast, a company that sells school uniforms, is working with influencers with large social media followings to showcase the products they like to wear on Instagram.

Analysts believe that influencers are likely to play a major role in back-to-school shopping. Even millennial parents are likely to spend a lot of time on social platforms and connect with influencers, and it will be interesting to see how retailers and brands take advantage of the back-to-school trend.

For French Toast, direct mail is the company’s preferred marketing channel during the back-to-school shopping season. The company will launch its first direct mail campaign in mid-July to promote its core products such as polo shirts and khaki pants.

About 60% to 65% of French Toast's business comes from the back-to-school shopping season. "Our business is seasonal and this is our most important season," said Alison Shapero, vice president of brand and wholesale marketing. "We are investing all our resources, all our marketing strategies, into preparing for this back-to-school shopping season."

Like French Toast, direct-to-consumer brand State Bags has launched direct mail in time for the back-to-school shopping season. State Bags CEO said the brand is being updated to embrace different family dynamics.

There are many opportunities in the back-to-school season, and the competition is fierce! Sellers in the US market can seize this opportunity and layout back-to-school products that meet consumer needs based on this year's market changes.

Back to school season in the US

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