Consumer Behavior

Parents will spend more this year on back to school needs

Photo: Generated by AI. Adobe Stock.

July 17, 2025

Parents will be spending more this year on back to school needs.

Back to school budgets are projected to increase by 17.3% this year and more parents are shifting from online delivery orders to physical retail store shopping.

Those are top findings from a JLL back to school survey that also revealed Walmart is the top store for back-to-school shoppers, according to a press release on the findings.

The survey, which polled 1,010 parents, revealed cross-channel shopping will dominate consumer behavior with more than 90% interacting with brick-and-mortar retail experiences.

"Physical stores continue to play a crucial role in back-to-school shopping, with a majority of consumers planning in-store visits while starting their shopping earlier than ever," Naveen Jaggi, president of retail advisory Services, JLL, said in the release. "With July emerging as the second biggest shopping period behind the holiday shopping season and parents expressing inventory concerns, retailers offering competitive pricing and robust selection are positioned for a particularly strong July as families complete their back-to-school purchases."