According to eMarketer’s forecast, back-to-school retail sales will grow 4% over last year. During the core shopping season of July and August, back-to-school retail sales will account for approximately 17% of total retail sales for the year, and are projected to reach an estimated $857 billion in the U.S. in 2017.
E-commerce continues to fuel the sales growth, growing at 14.8% to $74.03 billion in 2017. That represents 8.6% of total back-to-school retail sales, up from the 7.8% share last year.
“Ecommerce growth this year comes on top of a strong year in 2016, making it that much more impressive,” said eMarketer senior analyst Yory Wurmser. “Younger consumers that shop in preparation for going back to high school and college actually prefer shopping online, so ecommerce growth should continue for the foreseeable future.”
The back-to-school shopping season is fueled by sales in 5 key categories:
- Apparel and accessories
- Books, music and video
- Computers and consumer electronics
- Office equipment and supplies
- Toys and hobbies, including sporting goods.
Sales in these categories are expected to outpace overall ecommerce growth, growing at 15.8%.
Source: Chain Store Age