Omnisend

Back-to-school shoppers favor essentials over apparel

Reports from Circana and KPMG indicate back-to-school consumers are prioritizing essentials — school supplies and technology — while spreading apparel purchases across the school year rather than completing a single wardrobe refresh. Circana forecasts a modest decline in kids’ apparel dollar sales in Q3 driven by lower unit demand and finds significant consumer concern about clothing and footwear prices. KPMG's Consumer Pulse survey shows sporting participation is widespread and sporting supplies are increasingly treated as essential. Additional research notes higher use of BNPL financing and continued reliance on mass merchants for back-to-school shopping.

Parents increasingly use BNPL for back-to-school shopping

A survey by Omnisend of 1,075 U.S. consumers found rising reliance on buy now, pay later (BNPL) for back-to-school purchases: 45% of households plan to use BNPL this season, up from 39% in 2025. About 40% of parents expect to be more financially stressed compared with last year. Nearly 20% of respondents expect to spend more than $1,000 on back-to-school items, and 44% anticipate spending over $500. Omnisend reports nearly one in three households expect BNPL to cover over half of school spending. To fund purchases, parents plan measures including cutting family activities, using credit, dipping into other savings or borrowing from friends/family.

Amazon Moves Prime Day to June with Grocery, AI Focus

Amazon’s Prime Day will run June 23–26, 2026, extending to four days for the second consecutive year and taking place earlier than prior years. eMarketer forecasts the event will generate more than $26 billion in online sales across retailers, and Amazon is expected to capture a larger share of e-commerce during the period. Surveys from Omnisend and Tinuiti show higher planned participation versus last year. Amazon is emphasizing grocery and everyday essentials with deep promotions and subscription discounts, and it has expanded AI shopping features — an upgraded Alexa shopping assistant, price-history tools and the Auto Buy price‑tracking/purchase tool. Competing retailers including Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Kohl’s have shifted their promotions to overlap with Prime Day, making the timing change material for brand and media planning ahead of back-to-school and summer seasonal campaigns.