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Following an all-time high of $41 billion in 2023, US K-12 back-to-school retail spending will drop to $39 billion this year, according to July 2024 data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the unofficial list of the most interesting retailers in July, focusing on back-to-school initiatives for this episode. Each month, our analysts Arielle Feger, Becky Schilling, and Sara Lebow (aka The Committee) put together a very unofficial list of the top eight retailers they're watching based on which are making the most interesting moves: Who's launching new initiatives? Which partnerships are moving the needle? Which standout marketing campaigns are being created? In this month's episode, Committee members Arielle Feger and Sara Lebow will defend their list against vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Sky Canaves, who will dispute the power rankings by attempting to move retailers up, down, on, or off the list.

Although price is crucial in back-to-school shopping this year, consumers are ready to spend. Discounting will be essential for retailers to secure their share of back-to-school sales, as will employing omnichannel strategies to connect the physical and digital experience.

Advertisers can leverage Pinterest鈥檚 first-party data to create highly visual, personalized ads for key retail events like back-to-school and holiday shopping. Meanwhile, online video and CTV ad formats help advertisers reach a wider audience and drive brand awareness. Why it matters: We forecast US off-site retail media ad spend will grow 42.1% this year to $13.06 billion.

Consumers take a cautious approach to back-to-school shopping: To drive shoppers to spend, Macy鈥檚 revamped its Epic Threads brand, Kohl鈥檚 added Limited Too, and Old Navy offered cash back.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss this years Prime Day. Was Amazon's ad platform breaking on the day a big deal, how other retailers event day behavior is changing, and how the shopping holiday is impacting the back-to-school season. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.

Amazon Prime Day 2023 will drive a surge of activity for Amazon, competing retailers, and brands looking to generate a sales boost before the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.

Prime Day 2024 shatters records yet again as consumers stock up on essentials: Shoppers spent $14.2 billion online, spurred by significant discounts and the chance to get a head start on back-to-school needs.

Walmart enhanced its product development by collaborating with platform creators on back-to-school merchandise. Forever 21 used virtual item performance data to guide physical product development decisions. Our take: For brands struggling to connect with younger demographics through traditional channels, Roblox's immersive experiences represent the next evolution in digital engagement.

Ecommerce will account for 35% of all back-to-school shopping this year: That鈥檚 a massive shift from the 23% share it accounted for prior to the pandemic as consumers embrace convenience.

Summer is just getting started, but it鈥檚 already back-to-school season for parents. As of mid-June, nearly a quarter (24%) of US adults have already begun back-to-school shopping and another 45% will start sometime before the end of July, according to a March 2024 survey from LTK. As retailers roll out their back-to-school campaigns, here are three tips to keep consumers engaged and spending.

Key stat: Nearly half (49%) of US adults will begin back-to-school shopping by early July, according to a March 2024 survey by LTK.

US ecommerce back-to-school and holiday growth trends are usually pretty similar, but this year, growth will diverge. US ecommerce back-to-school and holiday spending growth were within 1 percentage point of each other in both 2020 and 2021, and closer to 4 percentage points apart in 2022, during a holiday season impacted by inflation, supply chain issues, and geopolitical concerns. This year, we forecast a US back-to-school ecommerce growth rate of 1.5%, slower than our forecast 11.3% holiday retail ecommerce growth.

With students heading back to school, how is the sales season shaping up? We鈥檝e compiled five charts on the 2023 back-to-school shopping season. When and where are consumers shopping and how are they looking to save?

We expect back-to-school sales to rise 2.9%: While that鈥檚 a far cry from rates over the past two years, it is markedly higher than in 2019.

On today's episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss what's most important this back-to-school season, how much Amazon Prime Day might have stretched out the shopping period, and where coolness comes from. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the things you need to do to be better than OK and in an OK market. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and analyst Zak Stambor.

Apparel and consumer electronics could get a boost from the back-to-school and holiday seasons. But home improvement may have a ways to go before the category rebounds.

Deep discounts may drive consumers previously holding back on big-ticket or discretionary purchases to splurge, while parents will keep an eye out for back-to-school deals. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy may see Prime Day-driven boosts in physical store traffic.

You also recently featured creators in your back-to-school campaign. So how has that been resonating with in-store shoppers particularly? Sarah Crockett (08:50):. Yeah, it's definitely a space that DSW has been leaning into, and similar conversations to what Nicole and Bryan represented.

We may also see big-box retailers plan in-store experiences around major shopping holidays, like Target did with its personalization stations during the back-to-school season. Brick-and-mortar stores still account for 82.9% of US retail sales, per our forecast, but their share is shrinking slowly.

That, combined with consumers鈥� disinclination to shop outside of key shopping moments like the back-to-school season and the Cyber Five, is weighing on business. Shoppers are being choosy as they search for the best deals available, Dillon said, resulting in a more promotional environment as brands and retailers compete for their dollars.

Agency specialists we spoke with said the platform is particularly effective during certain 鈥渕oments鈥� throughout the year, like back-to-school season. LinkedIn continues to evolve. Once a staid B2B platform, LinkedIn is increasingly becoming a destination for creators, short-form video, and personal branding.

The haves: Dick鈥檚 Sporting Goods and Abercrombie & Fitch are riding high into Q4 after better-than-expected back-to-school sales. Both retailers raised their full-year guidance and expect to end 2024 on a high note. The have-nots: Best Buy鈥檚 bet that Copilot+ and other AI-powered PCs would help turn its fortunes around came up short.