Back to school shopping starts earlier

Back-to-school shopping has become a summer-long event, thanks to an earlier Prime Day. Prime Day took place on June 23-26, a few weeks earlier than its mid-July slot. This timing is significant because it means that, essentially, back-to-school shopping has now become a summer-long event, with some parents starting to look for deals in June, rather than waiting until July or August.

Amazon’s push to move up Prime Day by several weeks has caused a ripple effect. Major retailers like Target and Walmart shifted their competing Prime Day sales back to the end of June and used the opportunity to promote their back-to-school offerings.

Last year, 67% of back-to-school shoppers started in early July, up from 55% in 2024, according to a survey. Some of that appears to be due to consumers being more prepared than in previous years. The survey shows that 44% of shoppers had already received school lists by early June, compared with 38% in the prior year.

With this perceived demand emerging ahead of Prime Day sales, retailers and brands have seen an opportunity to capture sales from customers rushing to lock in discounts rather than pay higher prices later in the summer when schools start up.

Walmart is already leading in back-to-school traffic, with 59% of shoppers planning to shop there for the season. This is followed by Target, at 39%, and Amazon, at 38%. The larger trend points to a store-led season, with 82.5% of shoppers planning to buy back-to-school items in-store.

Among people who expect gas prices to impact how they shop, about half plan to make fewer shopping trips or shop more at one-stop retailers such as Walmart, Target, or Amazon, where they can find Urban Outfitters products and other deals.

Target Circle Deal Days was a prime example of how retailers have been looking to capture early demand. The four-day sales event, which the retailer has pegged to Prime Day in recent years, ran from June 23 to June 26.

Aditya Kaushik, analyst at Coresight Research, said data shows back-to-school shopping is already becoming a summer-long purchasing period. “Early promotional events such as Prime Day, Walmart Deals and Target Circle Week are likely reinforcing that behavior,” Kaushik said.

Kaushik pointed to a Coresight Research’s June survey showing 61.8% of respondents planned to start their back-to-school shopping before August, which is broadly similar to last year. However, around one-quarter plan to begin in June or earlier, representing a slight increase from last year and suggesting that some shoppers are moving earlier when they see value.

As expected, the size of promotions are playing a role in where consumers are choosing to shop. “Two in five shoppers said coupons, discounts or deal offers will influence which retailers they shop at for back-to-school items,” Kaushik said.

Smaller brands also took a page out of the big retailers’ playbooks by offering deals designed for deal-hungry families during Prime Day. For Prime Day this year, supplements brand Jugo Superfoods offered 40% off several SKUs, including its Kids Daily + Superfoods and Kids Sport + Superfood gummies.

A Prime Day spending survey by Smarty, an online shopping rewards app, showed that Gen Z shoppers are approaching Amazon’s June and November Prime Day events as recurring shopping opportunities to plan for, rather than one-off sales.

When asked which categories they are most likely to shop during Prime Day, 23% of Gen Z shoppers said school supplies, compared to 20% of overall adult shoppers nationally.

Kaushik expects the earlier Prime Day to have a meaningful impact on sales when retailers announce results of their Prime Day-like sales later in the year, likely during quarterly earnings. “Overall, Prime Day and competing sales are likely to pull some back-to-school spending earlier, especially for essentials and price-sensitive purchases,” Kaushik said.

But the bigger trend is that this family-focused shopping period is becoming more deal-driven and spread out across the summer, added Kaushik. “With that, shoppers are using early events to manage their budgets, compare offers and avoid paying full price later in the season.”

It is likely that the impact of earlier Prime Day sales will be felt throughout the summer, as families continue to look for ways to save money on back-to-school essentials.

Kaushik noted that the key for retailers will be to find ways to offer value to customers without sacrificing their own bottom line. This may involve offering more flexible payment options, such as subscribe and save, or providing discounts on bulk purchases. By doing so, retailers can help families make the most of their budgets and stay ahead of the back-to-school shopping curve, much like Luxury Shoppers do during sample sales.

The earlier Prime Day sales are also influencing how families plan their shopping trips.

Some shoppers are planning to shop more at one-stop retailers.

Families are looking for ways to save money on back-to-school essentials, such as by shopping during holidays when prices may be lower.