More than two-thirds of shoppers started their back-to-school shopping in July, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation.
That’s up from 55% last year and the highest rate since the trade group started tracking early shopping in 2018.
The survey also found that tariffs are influencing back-to-school shoppers’ purchases, with 51% starting early due to concerns prices will increase.
“Consumers are being mindful of the potential impacts of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school items, and have turned to early shopping, discount stores, and summer sales for savings on school essentials,” Katherine Cullen, NRF’s vice president of industry and consumer insights, said in a statement.
But even with the rise in early shopping there’s still plenty of runway for retailers, with 84% reporting they still need at least half of their purchases and 47% reporting they are waiting for the best deals before knocking out their wishlists.
Four in five shoppers, for example, were planning to shop around July sales events such as Prime Day, Walmart Deals, and Target Circle Week.
In addition, certain channels are likely to see the bulk of buying, with 55% naming “online” as their most popular destination for back-to-school purchases.
- As early data from Adobe Analytics shows, Prime Day was a major blowout for online retailers, driving $24.1 billion in spend.
- That represents a 30.3% increase from the year before.
While per person spending is dropping slightly both for college students and K-12 shoppers, overall spending in both groups is set to increase due to consumers shopping across categories such as apparel and electronics.
“Regardless of income, families want to ensure their students are set up for success,” Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy at Prospe, which helped conduct the survey, said. “They are cutting back in other areas, using buy now, pay later or buying used or refurbished items to have everything they need for the school year.”
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