Back-to-school recap: Buying trends set tone for retail holiday season

In our final installment of our three-part blog series, RSM’s senior industry analysts recap back-to-school shopping trends and the impact on consumer businesses.

As summer draws to a close, families across the country prepared for the back-to-school season, a critical time for retailers as it set the tone for the upcoming holiday shopping period.

This year we saw an acceleration of trends that have been building since the onset of the pandemic, with digital solutions—both in-store and online—gaining even more traction. Consumers’ comfort with these tools, paired with the growing influence of convenient delivery and pickup options, shifted how and where they chose to shop for their back-to-school needs.

Convenience continues to lead the way

During the pandemic, many consumers turned to delivery services as a way to stay isolated at home. As consumers enjoyed the convenience of this trend, this caused an accelerated shift toward delivery services. From 2019 to 2024, annual retail revenue using delivery grew from less than $60 billion to an expected $195 billion, according to Statista Market Insights, demonstrating that even after the pandemic these services have only grown.

As back-to-school shoppers increasingly turn to digital solutions, convenience has become a key factor driving their purchasing decisions. Retailers offering fast, flexible delivery options and an array of digital services, like buy online, pick up in-store, are capitalizing on this trend. Many families found the ability to shop from home or use apps to quickly compare prices and pick up items in-store to be a game changer this back-to-school season. For parents juggling work, child care and other responsibilities, the flexibility and time saved that digital solutions provide has become indispensable.

Using digital solutions to provide convenience and save time is not new. Streaming companies have used digital apps to become more convenient than inserting a disk into a video player. Restaurant apps offer the ability to order before you arrive, removing the need to stand in line and verbally communicate your order. There are further opportunities for retailers to offer convenience to consumers as well.

When comparing where to shop, shoppers are not only looking at where they can save on price but also at where they can save on time. The value associated with that time saved, especially for higher-income shoppers, is substantial. Specifically, top online retailers saved shoppers time this season by presenting them with all the items on their child’s back-to-school shopping list, given a Zip code, school name and grade, with an “add all to cart” button.

In addition to using first-party digital solutions to offer convenience, retailers continue to look to what other networks their customers are already using. Ads on digital streaming platforms are increasingly offering convenient ways for shoppers to take the product they see on the screen to their phone for making a purchase. Retail transaction revenue using voice assistance grew by 400% from 2021 through 2023, according to Statista Market Insights.  With the advancements in artificial intelligence, the usability of these platforms will increase in the coming years, leading to further revenue growth.

This preference for convenience is particularly evident in the growing number of shoppers that took advantage of midyear sales to get a head start on back-to-school shopping. According to recent National Retail Federation surveys, a significant portion of consumers seized opportunities during summer promotional events to secure deals on school supplies, electronics and clothing. This early buying behavior signaled that consumers are not only shopping more through digital channels but also planning further ahead, potentially reducing the last-minute rush traditionally associated with back-to-school season.

Value-based buying

While convenience is important for many consumers, including back-to-school shoppers, value remains a top priority, especially for lower-income families feeling the pressures of inflation, diminished savings and debt limits. As school supply lists grow longer and more expensive, many households carefully considered where they could get the most value. This led to an increased focus on discount retailers that provide a balance between affordability and convenience.

For these families, finding the best deals often meant combining digital solutions with traditional in-store shopping. Many took advantage of free shipping or store pick-up options to reduce costs while still benefiting from the ease of digital browsing. Meanwhile, in-store promotions at major retailers continued to draw shoppers looking for deep discounts on school essentials.

According to the National Retail Federation, more than 50% of back-to-school and back-to-college shoppers planned to use digital solutions, with both categories seeing an increase compared to last year. At the same time, mass merchants remained a top destination, offering value-driven solutions that appealed to cost-conscious consumers. This dual-channel approach highlighted the importance of both convenience and value as drivers of consumer behavior this back-to-school season.

The shift back to services

While overall retail sales remain strong with single-digit positive growth, certain subsectors, including apparel, are showing signs of weakness as consumers become more selective. Spending on services remains strong, while spending on goods is decreasing as consumers rebalance their budgets, according to Bloomberg and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retailers that offer a combination of value and convenience, through both digital and in-store solutions, are best positioned to capture competitive demand.

This shift is a signal that retailers will need to adjust to pre-pandemic spending trends, which may affect overall spending on goods. With more consumers shifting back to services like travel, dining and entertainment, businesses that primarily offer goods will need to focus on value and convenience to maintain consumer interest.

The takeaway

The back-to-school season provided key insights into what to expect for the holiday shopping period. The ongoing shift toward digital solutions, combined with consumers’ increasing comfort with these platforms, suggests that digital engagement will continue throughout the holiday season. Retailers that merge convenience, affordability and a seamless shopping experience across both channels will be well-positioned to capture consumer spending as families prepare for the holidays, while ensuring they can meet the demands of a more selective and value-driven shopper base.

For more, check out our additional retail business insights.