According to ICSC’s 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey, 54% of shoppers in the United States expect to purchase most back-to-school items in physical stores and 46% say that browsing and shopping in-store has the most influence on what products they buy.
Despite an economy that continues to prompt uncertainty, shoppers are more optimistic about their back-to-school shopping in 2023, ICSC pointed out, as only 44% of consumers are concerned about the affordability of school supplies, down 11 percentage points versus the survey a year past.
Other findings ICSC noted include:
- 45% of adults in the U.S. will buy back-to-school items this year.
- 32% say that the promotions they see in-store influence their back-to-school purchases and 14% mainly shop in-store because there are more promotions.
- 46% of shoppers now plan their back-to-school shopping around holidays, such as July 4th, retailer sales events, including Amazon’s Prime Day, and sales tax holidays.
- 48% started or completed their shopping by mid-July this year versus 60% in 2023.
- 46% of back-to-school spending is slated for August, in line with previous years.
Discount stores remain the most popular retailer type for back-to-school shopping, favored by seven in 10 survey respondents. ICSC fielded the 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey online between July 12 and 14.
