2025 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey
Sharpening pencils and budgets
Natalie Martini
Brian McCarthy
Stephen Rogers
Lupine Skelly
Kusum Raimalani
In our 18th annual Back-to-School Survey, families are sharpening pencils and their budgets. They’re approaching their second-largest annual spending event1 with a note of restraint, given current economic and household financial positions. Despite the uncertainty, parents appear confident they can replace clothing and refill backpacks by leaning on the savvy shopping habits they’ve honed during the past few years of high prices. Expected spending per child ($570) is flat year over year, as parents expect to focus on just the essentials. Retailers that can appeal to the value-seeking consumer will likely be best positioned to capture part of the $30.9 billion2 in potential sales (flat YoY) up for grabs.
Our recent ConsumerSignals work indicates that 4 in 10 consumers are showing signs of value seeking: making more cost-conscious choices, deal-driven purchases, and convenience sacrifices. This trend has been on an upward trajectory since the fall of 2024, and the behavior is showing up in our back-to-school findings as well. Parents surveyed plan to focus their back-to-school purchases around big promotional events in July, spread out expenses over a longer period of time, trade down to more affordable brands and retailers, and even scale back on speedy delivery for more affordable, slow shipping.
As younger generations navigate ways to value seek, they’re turning to technology to find the best deals and compare prices. Specifically, they’re using social media and artificial intelligence at much higher rates than older parents, potentially reshaping how retailers can entice younger cohorts. For retailers that can appeal to the tech-savvy, there could be real rewards, as respondents who plan to use social media in their shopping journey spend 1.8x compared to non-social-media shoppers.
There will be other opportunities for retailers as well. Nine in 10 shoppers surveyed say their child has a must-have back-to-school item in mind, and 62% say they are often influenced by their child to spend more. In addition, over half mentioned they’d be willing to splurge on a first-day-of-school outfit for their child.
So, what does this value-seeking environment mean for the year ahead and the holiday season? Time will tell, but retailers may be wise to use this back-to-school season to test promotions and messaging, shore up loyalty programs, and confirm they are reaching younger generations through the proper tech channels.
Read on for key takeaways and download the full survey findings.
Key takeaways
Sharpening pencils and budgets
Families are taking a cautious approach to the back-to-school season as economic expectations and household financial positions dip to the lowest level in the past five years. They’re pulling back in all categories except clothing and accessories and plan to spend an average of $570 per child, similar to last year.
What it means for retailers: Sixty-two percent of surveyed parents say their children often influence them to spend more on back-to-school items, and 57% can be enticed to splurge on a first-day-of-school outfit. Retailers can therefore target these consumers with a marketing approach that emphasizes nostalgia and the thrill of the first day.
Value seekers get savvy
With economic concerns on their minds, parents are honing their value-seeking skills to keep budgets in check—nearly half plan to spend the most at mass merchant retailers (46% versus 40% in 2024). They’re also planning to jump on mid-July promotions (46%), spread out expenses over a longer period of time (61% of spending will occur by the end of July versus 66% in 2024), and switch brands if their preferred brand is too expensive (75%, versus 67% in 2024).
What it means for retailers: As consumers look for value, loyalty may be at stake. Retailers that shore up loyalty programs and emphasize value for money could entice price-conscious customers. Others could emphasize their value proposition, such as unique products, convenience, or product availability. And with customers trained to look for deals around Amazon Prime Day sales, having attractive promotions in mid-July will be key.
What it means for retailers: Retailers that can appeal to younger and tech-savvy shoppers stand to gain, as back-to-school shoppers who use social media in their shopping journey typically spend 1.8 times more than those who do not use social media.
Let’s make this work.
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BY
Natalie Martini
Brian McCarthy
Stephen Rogers
Lupine Skelly
Kusum Raimalani
The authors would like to thank Brooke Furman, David Levin, Srinivasarao Oguri, Rithu Mariam Thomas, Negina Rood, Kianna Sanchez, and Michele Stoffel for their contributions to this survey.
Cover image by: Sofia Sergi; Getty Images; Adobe Stock
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