How brands like Staples, JanSport, Nuuly are targeting crucial Gen Z cohort in back-to-school period

The late summer back-to-school sales period has long been a vital one for brands like Old Navy, Amazon and Target hoping to capture the high school and college-age dollar.

This year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) calculated that total back-to-school spending — roughly spanning July to the beginning of September — by U.S. consumers will reach $128 billion. But with consumer spending confidence doubtful and many advertisers working to drum up sales in spite of their own rising prices, marketers are pressured to make the most out of the late summer period even more than usual.

The impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy looms overhead — 26% of back-to-school shoppers expect to cut back their spending this summer, 49% due to price inflation, per a Samsung Ads survey. And according to Deloitte, back to school spending is flat year-on-year, averaging at $570 per child.

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