Consumer Behavior

Social media influencing back-to-school shopping

Adobe Stock

August 20, 2026

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Over half of U.S. parents, 58%, shopping for back-to-school needs report that social media and online trends are influencing child requests.

That's a top finding of a Lightspeed Commerce Inc. research report that also revealed parents are balancing BTK budgets with increasing pressure from social media, according to a press release.

Lightspeed provides a unified omnichannel platform.

Additional findings include:

56% of parents expect to spend more than they did last year.
62% pay more than planned because their child asks for a specific brand or trending item.
41% have used AI to compare prices and find deals.
33% are shopping at lower-cost retailers and 31% are choosing more generic brands.
More than four in 10 parents (41%) have used AI to compare prices and find deals, while 22% have used it for product recommendations and 20% for shopping lists or budget planning.
When asked how they would use AI while shopping, parents are most likely to select finding lower prices (33%), comparing products (26%) and staying within budget (19%). Only 5% would use AI to make purchases. directly, while 27% say they would not trust AI for shopping.

"Back-to-school shopping is becoming more intentional, more price-conscious and more digitally driven," Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO of Lightspeed Commerce, said in the release. "Parents are increasingly using AI to compare prices, surface deals and plan purchases more efficiently, but they still want to stay in control of the final decision. For retailers, that means the opportunity is not just to compete on price, but to build trust and deliver transparent, value-focused shopping experiences across every channel."