Back-to-School Period in E-Commerce

The back-to-school period is a crucial time for many e-commerce businesses. With parents purchasing school essentials online due to the convenience of digital shopping, you can not only experience demand peaks—you also have to actively convince the parents to select your store.

In this article, we look into the back-to-school period from multiple perspectives—starting with the reasons for parents buying online, ending with logistics tips. We invite you to read on!

Key Takeaways

• Shopping for school essentials is no longer purely digital or physical. In 2026, 76% of consumers report spending money across both physical stores and online channels.
• The season starts much sooner. By early July, 62% of shoppers had already begun their purchases, and 84% plan to start their shopping earlier than usual to secure availability.
• AI is actively shaping buying journeys, with 73% of parents planning to use AI tools for researching products, comparing prices, and finding deals.
• Affordability is a critical pressure point. A staggering 93% of shoppers state that higher prices affect their purchasing decisions, and 46% of those who haven't finished shopping are actively waiting for the best promotional deals.
• The digital buying process is now shared with students, as 61% of parents allow their children to add items directly to online shopping carts.
• To stand out, e-commerce brands must offer flawless fulfillment, transparent promotional bundles, and a seamless BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick-Up In Store) experience.

Shift to Online-First Shopping for School Essentials

While online shopping is convenient, customer behavior in 2026 shows a strong shift toward mixed channels. 50% of shoppers plan to purchase K-12 items online, which is a decrease from 55% last year. For college items, only 41% plan to shop online this year, marking the lowest level since 2016. However, the shopping behaviors are deeply interconnected.

Research indicates that 76% of shoppers report spending money both in physical stores and online. Overall, 85% of shoppers report using online channels for their back-to-school needs, while 91% expect to make purchases in physical stores.

This highlights the immense importance of building a seamless omnichannel shopping experience. Customers use both channels together, handling browsing, comparison, purchase, and pickup in different places. Therefore, your digital and traditional channels must work in perfect unison.

Back-to-School Shopping Trends

The omnichannel approach isn’t the only trend we can observe during the back-to-school period. Let’s look into customer behaviour in more detail.

School Preparations Start Earlier Than Ever

School supply shopping starts much earlier than it used to. In 2026, about one-third of back-to-school shoppers had already started browsing and buying by early June. By early July, 62% of shoppers had already started shopping for the school year. Furthermore, 84% of surveyed shoppers stated they plan to start their shopping earlier than usual. Considering that July is the peak season for returns management, this early surge adds an extra layer of challenges to e-commerce businesses—you need top-notch logistics to handle the demand effectively, without delays.

The Role of AI in Selecting Retailers

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how consumers navigate the back-to-school season. In 2026, 73% of parents plan to use AI at some point during the shopping process for tasks such as research, comparison, budgeting, and deal-finding. Notably, 23% of parents plan to find deals specifically using AI tools. For e-commerce businesses, this means that optimizing product descriptions, ensuring accurate inventory data, and highlighting clear value propositions for AI search assistants is just as vital as traditional search engine optimization.

Main Shopping Categories and Cart Collaboration

Shopping for the new school year does not involve purely school supplies. Customers also purchase everyday-use products. Interestingly, 61% of parents now plan to let children add items directly to online carts, making the purchase a collaborative process. What categories drive sales in July and August?

• Fashion/apparel
• electronics (laptops, earbuds) - which remain the top spending category for college students
• office/school supplies
• backpacks and bags
• sports gear
• accessories (e.g., lunch boxes)
• beauty and personal care products

This is reflected in bundle offers available at major marketplaces. These include not only notebooks and backpacks, but also water bottles, MacBook laptops, AirPods, shoes and lunch boxes.

How to Build Your Advantage in the Back-to-School Period?

While you might expect a sales peak caused by school preparations, if you don’t do anything, you won’t be able to gain as much of an increase in sales as your competitors. Hence, it is crucial to prepare your whole business for this period and attract new customers to your store. How to do that?

Perfected Logistics

Start with your logistics—if you cannot handle the transactions logistically, you will create terrible experiences. Especially since back-to-school supplies need to arrive before the new school year starts. Hence, your main priority should be reliability in terms of delivery speed and product safety.

To achieve this reliability, particularly when selling cross-border, partner with experienced logistics companies, such as Landmark Global. Utilise on-site facilities in your target markets to store products and allow for faster delivery. Also, remember to adjust the deals and stock based on the school year starting date, which differs across countries.

Effective Marketing and Value Focus

Who wins the back-to-school race? Established brands that have built a presence in social media, partnered with influencers and offer the best deals. Effective Marketing and Value Focus

In 2026, 93% of shoppers say higher prices have affected or are expected to affect their purchases. Because affordability is a massive concern, 46% of shoppers who haven't finished their buying say they are waiting for the best deals.

Remember to ensure you meet the reasons why consumers purchase school supplies from you in the first place, namely:

• convenience—ensure the buyer’s journey is intuitive, support seamless omnichannel handoffs, and polish the UX.
• cost-effectiveness—provide transparent bundle deals and clear promotions. 84% of parents plan to seek more deals, and 82% prioritize value over brand.

If you don’t provide the above benefits, consumers will have no reason to choose you over other e-commerce stores or even traditional retailers.

The Takeaway

The back-to-school period is an opportunity to increase sales, but at the same time, it generates challenges. First, you need to get seen, starting your marketing efforts early on. Secondly, you need to plan out your bundles and deals to keep satisfying margins and encourage consumers to buy from you. Finally, you need to polish your logistics (including returns management!), to ensure your business is capable of handling larger order volumes. Need help with the last one? Contact us at Landmark Global!

You may also read:

• Latest Trends in E-commerce: What You Should Know?
• The Latest Trends in E-commerce 2025. What's Worth Knowing?

References:

1. ICSC, (August 2026), https://www.icsc.com/news-and-views/icsc-exchange/back-to-school-2026
2. National Retail Federation, (July 2026), https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/majority-of-back-to-school-shoppers-get-a-head-start-on-the-season
3. Kase, (July 2026), https://kase.com/blog/back-to-school-retail-trends/