In May 2022, Rakuten Advertising surveyed over 1,000 US
consumers who shopped for school-aged children and college students to better understand their shopping plans and
incentives for the upcoming back-to-school shopping season.
2022 Back-to-School
Shopping Insights
These shopping insights explore how consumers
feel about buying supplies for school, their
planned budget for spending, and if they are
planning to make purchases online or in-store.
Almost 80% of shoppers
plan to spend under $500 this year
on back-to-school supplies.
Shopping Prep
LEARN MORE ABOUT
YOUR SHOPPERS' BUDGET
plan to spend under $500 this year
on back-to-school supplies.
Almost 80% of Shoppers
LEARN MORE ABOUT
YOUR SHOPPERS' BUDGET
Shopping Prep
LEARN WHEN
SHOPPERS START
DISCOVER
THE ANSWER
Where do
people go for
back-to-school
inspiration?
some form of shopping incentive
during the back-to-school season.
68% of shoppers will
often or always use
LEARN WHY
DISCOVER WHAT SHOPPERS
ARE SEARCHING FOR
Shopping Incentives
What offers
motivate your
consumers?
DISCOVER
THE ANSWER
LEARN MORE
LEARN HOW AND WHERE
YOUR SHOPPERS' PURCHASE
will shop in-store this season.
49% of shoppers
In-Store or Online
LEARN WHAT YOUR SHOPPER NEEDS MOST
BEFORE THE SCHOOL SEASON BEGINS
LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE SHOPPING CYCLE
OF TOP ITEMS
as shoppers felt that items like backpacks
and notebooks were most important.
Traditional items were #1
Purchasing Supplies
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grow your affiliate marketing strategy.
Are You Ready for
Back-to-School Season?
LEARN WHEN
SHOPPERS START
PLANNING
DISCOVER
THE ANSWER
Where do
people go for
back-to-school
inspiration?
Free shipping offers
are of less interest
to today's shoppers
SHOPPING CALENDAR
2022
July
is when the majority
of consumers start
to order their
back-to-school
necessities.
Back-to-School planning typically starts in
April & May,
with orders starting in
Mid-July.
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PUBLISHER SIGN UP
Back-to-School Budget
$0 - $250
$500 - $1,000
$250 - $500
$1k - $2k
Over $2k
Where do people plan to look
for back-to-school inspiration?
1. Friends & Family Referrals
2. Retailer's Website & Social Posts
5. TV or Streaming TV Ads
3. Online Ads
4. Cashback, Coupon, or Deal Aggregator Sites
3. Coupon Code
2. Buy-One-Get-One or Buy-Two-Get-One
1. Percentage Off
When shopping, consumers stated
that they prefer these specific savings and/or offers:
back-to-school shoppers will visit
fewer stores to get most of their list.
Consumers already expect free shipping
Unlike holiday shopping
This leads to larger basket sizes,
making it more likely for their
purchase to qualify for free shipping.
Before making purchases,
shoppers seek out incentives like:
COUPONS
CASHBACK
REWARDS
This season the majority of shoppers
will do their shopping in-store.
IN-STORE
This is in part to the fun nature of back-to-school shopping with the student.
49%
ONLINE
23%
ONLINE &
IN-STORE
28%
Each category of back-to-school
shopping has unique purchasing trends.
TRADITIONAL
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
CLASSROOM ITEMS
The type of item that consumers need defined whether shoppers
were most likely to shop in-store, online or a mix of both.
TECHNOLOGY
The type of item that consumers need defined whether shoppers
were most likely to shop in-store, online or a mix of both.
Each category of back-to-school
shopping has unique purchasing trends.
4. Technology
Computers, laptops, tablets, headsets for school use
These shoppers felt that the most
important items to buy before returning to grade school or high school were:
3. Cleanliness and Hygiene
Tissues, hand sanitizer, and face masks
2. Clothing
New clothes and shoes
1. Traditional Back-to-School Items
Backpacks, notebooks, pens/pencils, glue sticks
Comparing year-over-year insights,
back-to-school consumers followed this
peak shopping cycle with little variation
Leading Up to
Labor Day
APPAREL &
ACCESSORIES
Mid-July &
Mid-August
BACKPACKS
Between Late July
& Mid-August
UNIFORMS
Late July & Continues
Through September
FOOTWEAR
35%
45%
40%
20%
30%
25%
15%
10%
5%
IN-STORE
ONLINE
CLOTHING
The type of item that consumers need defined whether shoppers
were most likely to shop in-store, online or a mix of both.
Each category of back-to-school
shopping has unique purchasing trends.
CLEANLINESS
& HYGIENE
The type of item that consumers need defined whether shoppers
were most likely to shop in-store, online or a mix of both.
Each category of back-to-school
shopping has unique purchasing trends.
IN-STORE
ONLINE
IN-STORE
ONLINE
IN-STORE
ONLINE