Did you know that in the 2026 back-to-school season, families in the U.S. are expected to spend a record $103.5 billion on back-to-college shopping, crossing $100 billion for the first time ever, and a record $43.3 billion on K–12 (from kindergarten to 12th grade)? Together, that's a record $146.8 billion, more than U.S. families spend on Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, and the Super Bowl combined. What a huge number, isn't it? This continued growth highlights the critical importance of this season for the eCommerce and retail industries. As families prepare for the new academic year, there's a surge in demand for school supplies, clothing, electronics, and other essentials. For businesses, this season presents a prime opportunity to boost sales and engage with customers through targeted marketing campaigns.
This blog post will explore the latest back-to-school shopping trends and reveal how you can leverage Storyly's capabilities to elevate your campaigns and achieve remarkable results.
Current Back-to-School Shopping Trends
Back-to-school season has always been a huge chance for businesses to increase their sales and for parents to find the best deals and prepare their children for the upcoming school year. And generally, the season starts around August, or does it? Shoppers still get a head start, but in 2026 that early wave cooled a little. According to the National Retail Federation, 62% of shoppers had already begun their back-to-school shopping by early July, down slightly from 67% at the same point in 2025, though still well above the 55% seen in 2024. The dominant theme this year is value: families are spreading purchases out, waiting for deals, and buying just the essentials up front.
Consumer behavior is shifting in interesting ways. While the NRF projects K–12 spending will reach a record $43.3 billion this year (up nearly 10%), Deloitte anticipates flat overall growth, with total K-12 spending holding around $30.4 billion and per-student spending expected at $557, down just $13 from last year, and 6% lower year-over-year once adjusted for inflation.
Meanwhile, back-to-college spending is expected to hit a record $103.5 billion, up from $88.8 billion in 2025 and crossing the $100 billion mark for the first time. And unlike last year, average spending per college family is climbing, reaching $1,437.79, up from $1,325.85, according to NRF.
What are people buying? Clothing takes the lead. Deloitte forecasts a 22% increase in apparel and accessories, to an average of $323 per child, making it the standout growth category. On the other hand, technology spending is softening, with a 16% decrease projected (to about $417 per child), as parents defer personal-device upgrades.
Interestingly, the increased focus on value is shaping how families budget. Among shoppers who still have most of their list to buy, 46% say they're waiting for the best deals to finish up. That caution runs deep: Deloitte found 57% of parents expect the economy to worsen over the next six months, the highest level since 2020, and half (50%) plan to cut back on other expenses like dining out and entertainment to make room for back-to-school costs.
Where are they shopping? Online is still a leading channel, but its share slipped this year. Only half (50%) of K–12 shoppers plan to buy online, down from 55% in 2025, while among college shoppers just 41% plan to shop online, the lowest level since 2016. Many retailers are meeting that demand with exclusive deals and experiences across their digital channels.
And it's not just parents driving the cart. According to Deloitte, 59% of parents say their children often entice them to spend more, down slightly from 62% in 2025, but still a majority. That means brands must win over both generations to secure a share of wallet.
Lastly, how families pay is worth watching. A 2026 Motley Fool Money survey found debit cards remain the default, named as the primary back-to-school payment method by 49% of parents, followed closely by credit cards at 34%, with 12% paying mostly in cash and 5% turning to buy now, pay later, a sign that flexible, rewards-driven payments stay front of mind during this high-spend season.
Importance of Interactive and Personalized Content For Back-to-School Season
How can you capture your audience's attention during the busy back-to-school season? With so many advertisements out there, you need to make sure your brand stands out. The answer lies in using interactive and personalized content. But why is this so important?
Think about your potential customer scrolling through social media. What makes them stop and pay attention? Interactive content like quizzes, polls, and shoppable videos grab their attention and encourage them to engage. For example, a fun quiz about "Which School Supplies Best Match Your Style?" can entertain and lead customers to your products, creating a memorable brand experience.
And personalization takes this a step further by tailoring content to each person's preferences. According to eMarketer, personalized content can boost engagement by up to 54%. Imagine seeing an interactive content with product recommendations based on your past purchases. It's more compelling than a generic message and makes the shopping experience better.
Besides, interactive content isn't just about engagement. It's also a powerful way to gather data. By seeing how customers interact with quizzes, polls, and videos, you can learn a lot about their preferences. This information can help you refine your marketing strategies to make them more effective.
Therefore, using interactive and personalized content becomes essential for businesses. It helps your brand stand out in a crowded market, drives higher engagement, and finally leads to more sales. By adopting these strategies, you can ensure your brand thrives during the back-to-school season.
Storyly's Interactive Experiences
After discussing how much interactive and personalized content matters, let’s now take a look at how Storyly can help you in this field. Storyly can enhance customer engagement through interactive content, making your campaigns more effective and your customer journeys smoother.
Managing multiple campaigns and promotions across different categories can be challenging. With Storyly, you can create and display full-screen content in your app and on your website to capture your audience's attention effectively. Imagine having different promotions for various product categories, such as back-to-school bundles, each requiring distinct communication strategies. Storyly with its full-screen, interactive content can help you deliver these messages seamlessly, ensuring that your audience doesn't miss out on any important offers.
Creating back-to-school bundles is an excellent way to increase your average order value (AOV), but making these bundles easily discoverable can be tricky. This is where shoppable videos and shoppable content come into play. Storyly allows you to embed product tags, links, and call-to-action buttons within your full-screen content. Additionally, you can customize your content group covers to reflect the look and feel of your app and website. While the standard circle entry point is familiar and easily recognizable, you can choose a shape that fits your style and maximizes available space. This customization can pique your users' curiosity, boosting engagement and helping them access more of your content.
Furthermore, custom cover group styling displays covers dynamically by showing the first unseen story in the group. As your users watch your content, the cover image will change to the next unseen one. When users tap or click through to see content, the entry point marks their place so that the next time they visit the website or app, they’ll see a fresh cover of the latest unseen content. This combination of familiar entry points and dynamically refreshed content is perfect for keeping audience interest high and makes the shopping experience more engaging, shortening the path from discovery to purchase.
If you're collaborating with influencers and content creators, you likely have lots and lots of engaging video content. While these videos perform well on social media, they can also enhance the in-app and website customer journey. With Storyly, you can repurpose this content, integrating it into your flagship store's interactive experiences. This will amplify the reach of your influencer partnerships and also provides a cohesive and enriched customer experience across all touchpoints.
One of the standout features of Storyly is its ability to integrate shoppable content directly into their websites or apps. While social media platforms are great for capturing attention, limiting your interactive experiences to these platforms means missing out on deeper engagement opportunities on your own channels. By bringing these interactive experiences to your website and app, you can create a seamless and immersive journey for your customers. This can enhance user experience and also leverages the full potential of your digital store to drive sales and engagement.
Understanding your customers’ preferences, especially during targeted campaigns like back-to-school, is crucial. Storyly’s interactive content can help you gather zero-party data and the information that your customers willingly share through interactive experiences. For instance, you can create polls or quizzes within your content to learn about your customers' needs and preferences. This data-driven approach allows you to tailor your campaigns more effectively, ensuring that your content resonates with your audience and drives better engagement.
With Storyly, personalization and interactivity are not just easy to implement but also easy to optimize. Dynamic engagement is another powerful feature of Storyly, using real-time data to personalize content based on user behavior. Storyly's data-driven approach enables businesses to make informed decisions about their content strategies. By analyzing and monitoring user interactions and engagement metrics, companies can continuously optimize their campaigns for better results.
Several brands have successfully leveraged Storyly's interactive experiences. And you can too for your back-to-school campaigns. Implementing interactive content with Storyly is easy. You can start by identifying key products and promotions for the back-to-school season. You can then create engaging content using Storyly's user-friendly interface, adding interactive elements like product tags and call-to-action buttons. By continuously monitoring engagement metrics, you can refine your strategies to maximize impact.
So, personalization and interactivity are easy with Storyly. But what can you do more? Here comes the Journeys feature.
Create Interactive and Personalized Experiences with Journeys
With Journeys, you can create customized paths for your customers, guiding them through a personalized shopping experience. Imagine you are running a special campaign and want to offer personalized gift suggestions to your customers. You can create a quiz where each answer leads to a specific product recommendation, like suggesting a blue item if the customer picks blue as their favorite color.
Journeys allow you to tailor the shopping experience based on user interactions and make it more relevant and engaging. For example, a back-to-school campaign can include a quiz to find the best school supplies based on the student's grade and preferences. This will make the shopping process fun and ensure customers find exactly what they need.
By leveraging Storyly's Journeys feature, you can create interactive, personalized journeys that enhance customer satisfaction and drive sales. Whether it's a seasonal promotion or a special event, Journeys help you connect with your audience in a meaningful way and make every interaction count.
Strategies to Boost Back-to-school Sales and Engagement
Creating an effective back-to-school campaign requires a strategic approach that combines early planning, targeted marketing, and the use of innovative tools. Businesses need to understand their audience's needs and preferences, ensuring their marketing efforts resonate with parents, students, and educators.
Utilizing interactive and personalized content can significantly enhance customer engagement, making your campaign more memorable and impactful. By analyzing data and continuously optimizing strategies, companies can maximize their reach and drive sales during this competitive season. What should businesses do then?
Start Early
Launching your back-to-school campaigns in July allows you to capture the attention of early shoppers who are looking to spread out their purchases and take advantage of early deals. Early planning also gives you the opportunity to test different strategies and optimize your campaigns before the peak shopping period. This proactive approach can help you build momentum and maintain a competitive edge throughout the season.
Use Interactive Content
Engage your audience with interactive content such as quizzes, polls, and shoppable videos. Interactive content captures attention but also encourages active participation and makes the shopping experience more enjoyable and memorable. For example, a quiz that helps parents find the best products for their children’s needs can drive higher engagement and increase the likelihood of conversion.
Personalize Your Approach
Tailoring your content to individual customer preferences and behaviors can significantly enhance the shopping experience. Use data to create personalized recommendations, emails, and advertisements that resonate with your audience. Personalized content can improve engagement rates and build stronger customer relationships, ultimately driving higher sales and customer loyalty.
Combine Strategies
Integrate personalized content with traditional marketing tactics for a comprehensive approach. This might include combining email marketing with social media campaigns, in-store promotions with online advertisements and interactive content. By diversifying your marketing channels, you can reach a broader audience and reinforce your campaign message through multiple touchpoints.
Leverage Data
Use engagement metrics and customer data to refine and optimize your campaigns continuously. Analyzing data helps you understand what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to make informed decisions and adjustments in real-time. Metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and customer feedback can provide valuable insights into your campaign’s performance and guide future strategies.
By leveraging Storyly's interactive and personalized content, businesses can create compelling campaigns that drive engagement and sales.
Conclusion
The back-to-school season presents a golden opportunity for eCommerce and retail businesses to boost sales and engage with customers. By leveraging interactive and personalized content, you can create compelling campaigns that stand out in a crowded market. With Storyly’s interactive, personalized, and shoppable content experiences, you can boost sales and engagement, and enhance your marketing efforts.
As you prepare for the back-to-school season, consider how these strategies can help you achieve your business goals. Start early, personalize your content, and use interactive experiences to capture the attention of your audience. With Storyly, you have all you need to create a successful and engaging back-to-school campaign! Contact us to learn more.
