• DE&I Commitment
  • Careers
  • Locations
  • Book a Meeting
    Book a Meeting
  • Company
    Learn a little more about us, our values, and our team
    Our Values
    We don't just talk the talk; we live by our core values
    About Us
    Empowering brands to realize their potential with data, insights, and technology
    Leadership
    Meet our leadership team
    Secure Data Architecture
    Our promise of data security and privacy. We keep your data safe from publishers, competitors and bad actors
    Corporate Social Responsibility
    We are committed to making a positive impact on our communities and our planet
  • Platform
    Plan, manage, optimize, and measure your campaigns with our omnichannel platform
    Our Platform
    A platform that connects all walled garden media
    Connected Media
    Create and manage campaigns across search, social, retail media and apps, in one platform
    Connected Data
    Make data-driven decisions as you plan and strategize
    See the industries we serve
    Learn how our customizable solutions can help with your unique needs
    Explore our partner integrations
    See the media, retailer, and data partners we work with
  • Clients
  • News and Events
    Check out recent announcements and see what we’re up to
    News
    Check out our recent media coverage
    Events
    Join us for our next conference or webinar
    Omnichannel platform launch
    Read the press release to see how we're helping marketers win the walled gardens
    Let's talk omni at Shoptalk!
    Learn how our omnichannel platform can help you build a winning strategy
  • Resources
    From new releases, to industry trends and best practices, Skai has you covered
    Blog
    Read the latest insights and thought leadership from our industry experts
    Capabilities
    Take your campaigns to the next level by enhancing your platform capabilities
    Research
    Explore our reports and whitepapers so you can keep up on the latest industry trends
    Subscribe
    Sign up to get the latest updates straight to your inbox
    Quarterly Trends Report
    Learn digital advertising campaign performance trends from Q4 2022
Back to Blog

10 Telling Stats Brands Should Know About the 2021 Back-to-School (BTS) Shopping Season

Joshua Dreller, Sr. Director, Content Marketing @ Skai™

July  29, 2021
back to school 2021

Even with the pandemic forcing most kids to stay at home at the beginning of the 2020 educational year, school districts across the country found ways to safely bring kids back to the classroom. Reports show that by April 2021, nearly all K-8 public schools in the U.S. offered at least some in-person instruction. 

But, we’re ba-ack! 

64% of parents expect their students will be attending classes mostly or entirely in person this fall. The sounds of cheering you may hear these days are the work-from-home parents around the country excited that their kids will have somewhere to go during the day soon. 

Of course, with last year’s back-to-school shopping season overshadowed by the uncertainties surrounding the pandemic, total U.S. sales dipped by 4.6%. In comparison, back-to-school sales have grown by 3-5.6% annually over the past several years. 

The good news is that after declining last year, total back-to-school sales will grow by 9.3% in 2021 to reach $95.83 billion

back to school 2021Ten Telling Stats Brands Should Know About the 2021 Back-to-School (BTS) Shopping Season

The pandemic has pushed the share of shopping online to an all-time high and that continues even as physical stores are widely open across the company. But, prices seem to be higher and that seems to be fueling interest in finding back-to-school promotions and deals.

The folloring are ten very telling stats about this year’s back-to-school shopping season. 

BTS Stat #1: 70% of back-to-school shoppers plan to do back-to-school shopping online in 2021. It doesn’t mean that they’ll be buying everything they need via the Internet, as there will be an increase in in-store purchases too over last year when many stores were closed. This online trend equates to big numbers as U.S. back-to-school ecommerce sales will grow another 13.3% this year to $41.26 billion

BTS Stat #2: The total dollars spent on back-to-school purchases isn’t the only headline here. The ecommerce share of total back-to-school sales is predicted to be 43.1%, which is 10 percentage points compared with 2019 (31.5%). That’s a huge jump and certainly driven by the meteoric rise in ecommerce adoption in 2020. 

BTS Stat #3: This year’s average back-to-school spending will be $268 per child among U.S. consumers who plan to buy school supplies with 46% planning to spend $501 or more. 

BTS Stat #4: Where do consumers plan to spend most of their back-to-school budgets? Well, last year, kids were able to get by with t-shirts and sweatpants—so clothing is a top need. Based on a report by Shopkick, top categories begin with apparel (60%) and then basic school supplies (24%), technology (10%), dorm furnishings (4%), and books (3%). Anecdotally, parents purchased a lot in technology last year for their school-at-home kids, and many report not needing to spend as much this year due to last year’s investments.

BTS Stat #5:: One thing that seems to be on many people’s minds right now is the rising cost of inflation. 81% of consumers believe prices are somewhat or much higher now than they were before the pandemic.

BTS Stat #6: Those concerns around inflation are confirmed by Profitero’s eCommerce Price Index which found that online prices for office supplies and electronics were already up 4.2% in June compared with June of 2020. 

BTS Stat #7: Because of the rising prices, parents are becoming more price-sensitive. 70% of consumers say that shopping deals to get the best price will be back at the top of their priority list this year. 

BTS Stat #8: All of this means price-sensitivity means that retailers should really double-down on their promotions this year and may even want to extend sales to attract parents. 64% of consumers who are planning to shop during back-to-school events this year are doing so simply to take advantage of the discounts. 

BTS Stat #9: Getting their back-to-school shopping done early is also a trend this year as parents worry that supply-chain issues from the pandemic will create scarcity around items. About 47% of Chicago parents surveyed by Deloitte said they were concerned about out-of-stock items.

BTS Stat #10: Retailers would be wise to know that there’s a bigger opportunity than many may realize. Back-to-school sales aren’t only for kids returning to the classroom, 35% are shopping for supplies for themselves completely unrelated to the upcoming school year.

Skai is your commerce intelligence foundation for back-to-school and beyond

Although back-to-school shopping is an important aspect of the promotional year, it represents less than 2% of total retail sales—just 1.6% in 2021. 

Brands need a real commerce solution for the new needs of today’s highly-competitive, market. Simplify Retail Media with advertising on every retailer that matters, find your optimal mix and win big with full retail intelligence. All with Skai.

Leading brands & agencies rely on Skai for advanced optimization and cross-channel analytics to drive massive omnichannel growth. Unlike any other retail media platform, Skai is backed by robust, world-renowned retail media engineering and experts who know exactly how to advise and lead your ecommerce evolution in the digital era.

Learn more about Skai commerce intelligence including solutions for Retail Media, market intelligence, paid search & paid social advertising, and measurement technology that can help guide your investment and optimization strategies.

Contact us today to set up a brief demo today to see how Skai can help with your go-to-market needs.

Request a Demo of Skai

Related Posts

  • Prime Day 2021 Final Results: 4.2X Sales During the Shopping Holiday
    Read More
  • Amazon advertising homepage in Brazil.
    Skai Retail Media Now Supports Amazon Advertising in Brazil
    Read More
  • The Post-Pandemic World Will Merge Online-Offline Retail Marketing for Good
    Read More
  • Retail Media Marketers Can Now Reach Gopuff’s Unique Customer Base Through Skai
    Read More
  • Walmart Connect Search Brand Amplifiers (SBA) Help Marketers Go Up the Funnel with Retail Media
    Read More
  • Ecommerce Marketing Dos and Don'ts
    Read More
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share via Email
  • Copy Link
    Copied!
Tags: Commerce, CPG, Create, Omnichannel, Plan, Retail, Target, xTLx

Subscribe to Updates

Media that matters.
Marketing that works.
© 2023 Kenshoo, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Recruitment Privacy Policy.
  • Connected Data
    • Market Intelligence
    • Our Approach
    • By Need
    • By Solution
  • Connected Strategy
    • Dynamic Marketing Mix
    • Budget Forecasting
    • Strategic Consulting
  • Connected Media
    • Overview
    • Retail Media
    • Paid Search
    • Paid Social
    • App Marketing
    • Auditing
    • Expert Services
  • Measurement
    • Incrementality
    • Experiments
    • Cross-Channel Attribution
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Glossary
    • Case Studies
    • Training & Enablement
    • Developer Hub
Privacy Preference

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential, while others help us to improve this website and your experience.

Privacy Preference

Save All

Save

Accept Only Essential Cookies

Manage Cookie Preferences

Cookie Details Privacy Policy Imprint

Privacy Preference

Here you will find an overview of all cookies used. You can give your consent to whole categories or display further information and select certain cookies.

Save All Save Accept Only Essential Cookies

Back

Privacy Preference

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Name
Provider Owner of this website, Imprint
Purpose Saves the visitors preferences selected in the Cookie Box of Borlabs Cookie.
Host(s) .skai.io, skai.io
Cookie Name borlabs-cookie
Cookie Expiry 1 Year
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Purpose This cookie stores selections made by the user in the Accessibe tool in order to maintain those settings on future visits. These cookies help us make our website compliant with our obligations under US law.
Privacy Policy https://accessibe.com/privacy-policy
Cookie Name acsbState, acsbReset
Cookie Expiry n/a
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) skai.io
Cookie Name wordpress_sec_,wordpress_test_cookie,wp-postpass_*, wordpresspass_*, wordpressuser_*
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

We use these cookies to enhance functionality and allow for personalisation, such as live chats, videos and the use of social media.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) .chilipiper.com, skai.chilipiper.com
Cookie Name fs_uid, CHILI_PIPER_CLUSTER, guest-session, _sp_ses*, _sp_id*
Cookie Expiry Session / 2 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) .comeet.co, www.comeet.co
Cookie Name visid_incap_, nlbi_#######, incap_ses_, referrer22_00a, incap_ses_1364_2167377
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year
Accept
Name
Provider Owner of this website
Host(s) skai.io
Cookie Name moduleFormPardotDownload
Cookie Expiry 30 days

Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Google used for website analytics. Generates statistical data on how the visitor uses the website.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Cookie Name _ga,_ga_*,_gat,_gat_*,_gid
Cookie Expiry 2 Months
Accept
Name
Provider Hotjar Ltd., Dragonara Business Centre, 5th Floor, Dragonara Road, Paceville St Julian's STJ 3141 Malta
Purpose Hotjar is an user behavior analytic tool by Hotjar Ltd.. We use Hotjar to understand how users interact with our website.
Privacy Policy https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy/
Host(s) *.hotjar.com
Cookie Name _hjClosedSurveyInvites, _hjDonePolls, _hjMinimizedPolls, _hjDoneTestersWidgets, _hjIncludedInSample, _hjShownFeedbackMessage, _hjid, _hjRecordingLastActivity, hjTLDTest, _hjUserAttributesHash, _hjCachedUserAttributes, _hjLocalStorageTest, _hjptid, _hjSessionUser_2229986, _hjIncludedInPageviewSample, _hjIncludedInSessionSample, _hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress, _hjFirstSeen
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

Marketing cookies are used by third-party advertisers or publishers to display personalized ads. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Linkedin
Cookie Name lidc, li_gc, lang, AnalyticsSyncHistory, UserMatchHistory, li_sugr, bcookie, TDCPM, TDID, bscookie, ln_or
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year
Accept
Name
Provider Skai
Accept
Name
Provider 6sense
Cookie Name _gd_session, _an_uid, _gd_visitor, _gd_svisitor, 6suuid
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Pardot
Purpose Cookie name associated with services from marketing automation and lead generation platform Pardot. The visitor value is the visitor_id in your Pardot account. This cookie is set for visitors by the Pardot tracking code.
Host(s) .pardot.com, pi.pardot.com, skai.io
Cookie Name pardot, visitor_id*, lpv*
Cookie Expiry Session / 10 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Google used for conversion tracking of Google Ads.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en
Cookie Name IDE, 1P_JAR, NID, SOCS, CONSENT, AEC, _gcl_au, OTZ, test_cookie
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
Purpose Cookie by Facebook used for website analytics, ad targeting, and ad measurement.
Privacy Policy https://www.facebook.com/policies/cookies
Cookie Name _fbp,act,c_user,datr,fr,tr,m_pixel_ration,pl,presence,sb,spin,wd,xs
Cookie Expiry Session / 1 Year

Content from video platforms and social media platforms is blocked by default. If External Media cookies are accepted, access to those contents no longer requires manual consent.

Show Cookie Information Hide Cookie Information

Accept
Name
Provider Wistia
Host(s) .wistia.com
Cookie Name cb_anonymous_id, _sp_ses.2b40, _li_dcdm_c, __hssrc, _gcl_au, _clsk, hubspotutk, _sp_id.2b40, __hssc, __hstc, _uetsid, _uetvid, _gid, _ga, _ga_GQR109DZ3Y, _lc2, fpi, _ex-pricing-cta, _fbp, cb_group_id, cb_user_id, _clck
Cookie Expiry Session / 400 Days
Accept
Name
Provider Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock Instagram content.
Privacy Policy https://www.instagram.com/legal/privacy/
Host(s) .instagram.com
Cookie Name pigeon_state
Cookie Expiry Session
Accept
Name
Provider Openstreetmap Foundation, St John’s Innovation Centre, Cowley Road, Cambridge CB4 0WS, United Kingdom
Purpose Used to unblock OpenStreetMap content.
Privacy Policy https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Privacy_Policy
Host(s) .openstreetmap.org
Cookie Name _osm_location, _osm_session, _osm_totp_token, _osm_welcome, _pk_id., _pk_ref., _pk_ses., qos_token
Cookie Expiry 1-10 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Twitter International Company, One Cumberland Place, Fenian Street, Dublin 2, D02 AX07, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock Twitter content.
Privacy Policy https://twitter.com/privacy
Host(s) .twimg.com, .twitter.com
Cookie Name __widgetsettings, local_storage_support_test
Cookie Expiry Unlimited
Accept
Name
Provider Vimeo Inc., 555 West 18th Street, New York, New York 10011, USA
Purpose Used to unblock Vimeo content.
Privacy Policy https://vimeo.com/privacy
Host(s) player.vimeo.com
Cookie Name vuid
Cookie Expiry 2 Years
Accept
Name
Provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland
Purpose Used to unblock YouTube content.
Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=en
Host(s) google.com
Cookie Name CONSENT
Cookie Expiry 6 Month

Borlabs Cookie powered by Borlabs Cookie

Privacy Policy Imprint