Shopify shoppers went all out for crafting, household cleaning, and jackets and sweaters in August

While many believe August is a month when not much of anything happens, that may not be the case for Shopify customers, who spent their wallet share on creating art, cleaning up, and upgrading for fall.

Orders for art, craft, and DIY essentials like craft sets, doll-making kits, felting pads and mats, and art and drafting tables jumped 483%, 251%, 108%, and 63%, respectively in August, according to data shared first with Retail Brew.

With kids heading back to school, some shoppers decided to focus on tidying up and organizing their spaces before fall. August orders for upright steam mops, lawn sweepers, and brooms went up 187%, 115%, and 81%, respectively, across Shopify stores.

Back-to-school season also struck a chord with musicians, with instruments being in high demand, as students returned to bands and orchestras. Shoppers shelled out to buy synthesizer keyboards (up 86%), metronomes (up 71%), baritone saxophones (up 62%), and acoustic drum kits (up 44%). Bass flutes (up 44%), bass trombones (up 29%), and trumpets (up 20%) also saw a moderate spike in orders.

Back-to-school season isn’t just about books—it’s also about bragging rights. Chasing recognition means orders for award ribbons and trophies, which jumped 31% and 21%, respectively.

Sweater weather: Meanwhile, cold-weather fashion heated up, with several wardrobe staples trending this season. Orders for bomber jackets (up 76%), sweaters (up 65%), sweatshirts (up 56%), leggings (up 56%), trench coats (up 40%), and overcoats (up 33%) all rose in August.

Football season also rallied students together—on the field as players, on the sidelines as cheerleaders, or in the stands as loyal fans. No surprises then that shoppers bought cheerleading pom poms (up 40%), American football girdles (up 34%), and football gloves (up 29%).

With baking season on the horizon, some sweet staples were also flying off shelves. Orders for pie and pastry fillings (up 52%), granulated sugar (up 29%) and bread and pastry dough (up 28%) all trended upward.