2022 Back-to-School Shopping Trends & Insights

As the second biggest retail holiday, back-to-school requires strategic planning from consumers, retailers, and advertisers. This year has brought changes in buying behavior, leading advertisers and retailers to adapt and evolve promotions to keep up with shifting consumer preferences and remain profitable. Though the back-to-school season is in full swing, advertisers can still connect with valuable consumers and drive retail sales through campaigns that reflect how parents are shifting their shopping.

One thing is certain: given these new trends, advertisers can not just recycle ads and messaging from previous years. It’s critical for retail marketers to build campaigns that leverage unique ad formats and targeting tactics to capture and recapture consumer attention in intervals—re-engaging shoppers across multiple dates (and devices) to drive purchases.

Key Takeaways

WHAT

• Despite rising inflation, spending on essentials—which parents consider back-to-school and college items—remains strong.

HOW MUCH

• This year’s expected back-to-school spending is on par with last year’s record highs and will exceed pre-pandemic spending levels.

WHEN

• The traditional back-to-school shopping season is expanding both earlier and later than it has occurred in previous years.

WHERE

• Compared with pre-pandemic habits, back-to-school and college shoppers plan to concentrate their shopping rather than spreading it out across multiple destinations, with half of shoppers utilizing online shopping.

WHY

• Price and value will have a bigger impact on shopping behaviors than in years past, and retailers must be prepared to offer competitive prices and alluring promotions if they want to win over shoppers. With rising inflation, consumers are more price-conscious and are more likely to compare prices before purchasing.

Download the report for full insights on consumer buying habits & preferences, ad spend trends & emerging channels (like OTT), as well as an advertiser checklist to ensure maximum campaign performance this back-to-school season. From innovative targeting tactics to in-depth attribution reporting, Digital Remedy has a full suite of media capabilities to help reach your target consumers at the right time, in the right mindset. If you’re interested in getting more granular with your back-to-school marketing efforts—let’s talk.

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