Retail
Back-to-School is Back To Growth
Retailers that win trial during back-to-school are often the ones that earn repeat spend later
What We’re Seeing
May 1st 2026
- Retailer trial picks up during back-to-school season. Importantly, these aren’t one-and-done visits for shoppers as most trials lead to a repeat purchase within the next three months, with even higher repeat rates for online retailers.
- Middle and high income consumers are more likely to shop online and trial new online merchants during the back-to-school season.
- Within categories, Gen Z is starting to power kids apparel, boosting spend in Children’s and Infant Wear enough to blunt declines from other generations, and signaling an early handoff in who’s shopping for young families.