Inflation impacts back-to-school shopping too<\/h2>\n
Despite many families tightening their belt buckles, back-to-school shopping spending is up. And, inflation is primarily to blame. NRF found that categorically prices for school necessities have risen year over year.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
![\"Back](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/back-to-school-inflation.png\")
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It makes sense that families are spending more money on school shopping given the rise in prices, because what\u2019s the alternative?<\/p>\n
Kids’ school necessities are have-to-haves<\/i>, so while people might be able to cut back on other areas, like dining out, and travel they cannot do that for back to school.<\/p>\nThe list keeps growing<\/h2>\n
The first possible reason: the list is just bigger this year as at-home learning has been prevalent since 2020. What that means is, the basics that kids use year to year (think: lunch boxes, backpacks, pencil cases, workbooks) haven\u2019t been used as much over the past two years so as in-person learning resumes, parents need to buy them.<\/p>\n
Another contributing factor is the emergence of new learning technology and teaching methods. Coupled with how much other new stuff kids need for school, like seasonal clothes and shoes, most families are finding their list seems to have grown.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example of a general supply list for one high school student. Take a look and consider what it doesn\u2019t <\/i>include such as clothing items and teacher-specific lists, and then possibly multiply that by several kids\u2026<\/p>\n
![\"Example](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/back-to-school-shopping-list.png\")
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Price beats brand loyalty<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s no secret people are looking to save money, especially since the global economy is down. Intuitively, this means shoppers are less likely to be loyal to a given brand<\/a>, and more likely to buy whatever\u2019s least expensive.<\/p>\n The bad news? That means marketers can\u2019t rely as heavily on repeat website traffic<\/a> and returning customers.<\/p>\n The good news? It\u2019s a great time to offer a flashy deal and win some new shoppers.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll admit it. This trend initially came from my \u2018momstinct\u2019, but turns out I was right. When people are saving money they tend to buy products in bulk. Yes, for back-to-school shopping too.<\/p>\n When I checked the keyword \u201cbulk\u201d on Similarweb Shopper Intelligence\u2019s keyword analysis tool<\/a>, school-related products that are sold in bulk have experienced a whopping growth. Moda West padded backpacks saw a jaw-dropping 8,600% MoM increase from June to July 2022. One reason this 24-pack of backpacks is flying off the shelf is possible because groups of parents are buying for multiple kids together – such as cousins and close friends.<\/p>\nBuying in bulk is big<\/h2>\n
![\"Buying](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/buying-in-bulk-for-back-to-school.png\")
<\/p>\nIn-store shopping is popular (again)<\/h2>\n
![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Top-categories-Amazon-back-to-school.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/top-categories-based-on-views-Amazon.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Back](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Back-to-school-keywords.png\")
<\/p>\n| Brand<\/th>\n | Share<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|
| adidas<\/td>\n | 5.33%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Paper Mate<\/td>\n | 3.69%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| KatchOn<\/td>\n | 3.58%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| School Supply Boxes<\/td>\n | 3.46%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| VEEBOOST<\/td>\n | 2.35%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jelife<\/td>\n | 2.30%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| SHARPIE<\/td>\n | 1.52%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Generic<\/td>\n | 1.44%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| QQUK<\/td>\n | 1.34%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Amazon Basics<\/td>\n | 1.05%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nTop products<\/h3>\nExpectedly, many of those brands are found in the top purchased products for the trending keyword.<\/p>\n Here are the top ten products based on percent increase month on month. Notice how many of these products are sold in bulk?<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s what we see if we filter by total units sold.<\/p>\n
Let me quickly call your attention to a few takeaways.<\/p>\n
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![\"Top](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Top-back-to-school-products-2022.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Most](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Most-popular-products-on-Amazon-back-to-school-based-on-units-sold..png\")
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