School supplies and fall wardrobes took over Shopify in August

The back-to-school shopping season hit its stride in August, according to the latest Shopify data shared first with Retail Brew. While an eclectic mix of school supplies and fall wardrobe items sold well in July, those trends sharpened in August as parents got serious about stocking their kids’ desks. Sales spiked for label clips (up 606%), graphic calculators (56%), and kids’ desks (47%), as well as desk calendars (up 31%) and sticky notes (up 25%).

A spirit of learning also extended into other categories, as parents leaned into educational toys ahead of the school year, with big gains for planetariums (up 346%), math toys (278%), and bug collecting kits (102%).

Camping and biking: But the summer isn’t over, and shoppers showed an interest in getting outside and staying active before the cool weather arrives. Bicycle lights (up 123%), bicycle trainers (66%), and kids’ bikes (53%) were all standout sellers. In addition, late-season campers shelled out for tent awnings and annexes (up 392%), emergency radios (185%), and camping fire starters (up 180%).

Warming up: Looking ahead, there were also sizable bumps for classic fall wardrobe additions, including sweaters (up 84%), pea coats (76%), cardigans (75%), and school uniforms and knitwear (up 65%).

Some shoppers were even preparing for winter with purchases of thermal socks, which jumped 60% in August. Now that is some forward thinking.