New Data Shows Price is Top Priority for Back-to-School Shoppers
The back-to-school shopping season has long been seen as a barometer for the holiday shopping season, and should the summer shopping trends continue, retailers will need to be focused on offering shoppers money-saving options in the fourth quarter.
New data from Numerator showed that 57% of back-to-school shoppers said finding the best prices possible was their top priority, up five percentage points from 2024. To achieve this goal, consumers used a variety of money-saving strategies, including shopping sales events (68%), comparing prices (57%), and reusing school supplies from past years (45%).
Among the more popular sale events during the back-to-school season were Amazon’s Prime Day (37%), Walmart Deals (34%), and Target Circle Week (25%). Early results from Numerator show that retailers were prepared to meet consumer needs, as back-to-school promotional volume was up in July compared to a year ago. Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Staples were among those leaning heavily on digital promotions, Numerator said.
Nearly half of consumers (49%) said Walmart offered the best back-to-school deals this year, followed by Target (22%) and Amazon (12%). Those who ranked Walmart No. 1 were more likely to cite its overall value and competitive prices on school essentials. Those who chose Amazon and Target also believed their preferred retailer offered competitive pricing and good deals, in addition to making back-to-school shopping stress-free.
While certain product categories, such as apparel, electronics, and school supplies, are a focus during the back-to-school season, school lunches are a concern throughout the academic year.
According to Numerator, snack time is the top occasion for students to bring food to school, with 51% typically packing a morning snack and 45% an afternoon snack, followed by lunchtime (35%). The top items parents choose are chips, crackers, and pretzels (66%); fresh fruit or vegetables (62%); granola bars or snack bars (60%); bottled water or other drinks (50%); and cheese snacks (50%).
Numerator’s verified purchase behavior among frequent school food packers reflects many of the preferences uncovered in its survey. During the 2024-2025 school year, daily snack and meal packers spent about 4.7% more on groceries than those who sent food to school on a less frequent basis.
Increased spending for this group was most evident in snack and produce categories, including nutrition and wholesome bars (+20.3%), crackers (+17.1%), fruits (+14.3%), yogurt (+13.6%), and packaged cookies (+13.1%). They also had elevated spending in traditional sandwich-making categories like cold cuts (+13.9%), jellies and nut butters (+12.3%), packaged bread (+9.3%), and cheese (+8.3%).
The higher prices were a concern for many parents heading into the back-to-school season, a recent survey by Deloitte revealed. Figures in the survey showed the current average price for a brown-bag lunch for students is $6.15, up from $5.65 in 2022. The bump in the average price is higher than in 2024, but lower than at the start of the 2023 school year, when the average index lunch cost was up 6% year-over-year.
