ICSC’s 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey Reveals Increased Optimism and the Value of Brick-and-Mortar

MEDIA ALERT

ICSC’s 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey Reveals Increased Optimism and the Value of Brick-and-Mortar

ATTN: Retail/Real Estate/Business Editors and Reporters

WHO: ICSC

WHAT: Consumer shopping behavior data for the 2024 back-to-school shopping season

WHEN: ICSC’s 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey was fielded online between July 12, 2024 and July 14, 2024, and polled a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,011 consumers.

QUOTE: “The back-to-school shopping season remains a cornerstone for both consumers and retailers, as shown in ICSC’s 2024 Back-to-School Consumer Survey. Our data proves that the physical store continues to play a vital role in the shopping journey. This year also shows an increase in consumer optimism about being able to afford the supplies they need, driven in part by their savviness in planning their shopping around promotions and deals.”
- Tom McGee, President & CEO, ICSC  

RESULTS:

• Nearly half (45%) of adults in the U.S. will buy back-to-school items this year.
• More than half (54%) of shoppers expect to purchase most back-to-school items in physical stores and nearly half (46%) say that browsing and shopping in-stores has most influence on what products they buy.
• About one in three consumers (32%) say that the promotions they see in-store influence the back-to-school purchases they make and one in seven (14%) mainly shop in-store because there are more promotions.
• Almost half (46%) of shoppers plan their back-to-school shopping around holidays, like July 4th, retailer-driven sales events, like Amazon Prime Day, and sales tax holidays.
• Shoppers are more optimistic about their back-to-school shopping this year - only 44% of consumers are concerned about the affordability of school supplies, a decrease of 11 percentage points compared to last year (55%).
• Consumers have less urgency when buying back-to-school items this year - fewer shoppers (48%) have started or completed their shopping this year compared to 60% last year.
• Nearly half (46%) of back-to-school spending is expected to happen in August, in line with previous years.
• Discount stores remain the most popular type of retailer for back-to-school shopping for seven in 10 consumers.

About ICSC
ICSC promotes and elevates the marketplaces and spaces where people shop, dine, work, play and gather as foundational and vital ingredients of communities and economies.  ICSC produces experiences that create connections and catalyze deals; aggressively advocates to shape public policy; develops high-impact marketing and public relations that influence opinion; provides an enduring platform for professional success; and creates forward-thinking content with actionable insights – all of which drive industry innovation and growth.  For more information, please visit www.ICSC.com.