Amazon Briefing: Amazon and other online retailers are winning more back-to-school sales as technology takes over classrooms 

Numerator data also shows that Amazon dethroned Target as the second-biggest retailer for back-to-school supplies in 2023. However, Amazon lags behind superstore chain Walmart, which snagged the first spot. Numerator’s analysis is based on back-to-school purchase data, as well as a survey of 2,000 parents and guardians of school-aged children. 

Driving the growth among online retailers is technology adoption in classrooms, a lingering effect of remote learning in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, even as students have returned to physical classrooms. Technology is replacing many traditional school supplies, such as paper, with ninety percent of students using computers or tablets in the classroom during the prior school year. Traditional back-to-school supplies have seen declining volume year over year, despite the fact that the total number of households purchasing such products is mostly unchanged, according to Numerator.

“Despite these category declines, online retailers grew their back-to-school supply share by 15 points in the last four years, with Amazon leading the charge,” Numerator analyst Amanda Schoenbauer wrote. 

It’s a sign that the growth of e-commerce that was turbocharged during the pandemic continues to have an effect on shopping behavior. Before the pandemic, e-commerce accounted for about 23% of back-to-school spending, according to eMarketer.

Amazon’s tech-fueled rise as a back-to-school shopping destination makes sense given that electronics have historically flown off the shelves during the company’s Prime Day, an annual summer sales event that has come to be regarded as a bellwether for the broader retail industry ahead of the holiday shopping season. This year was no exception. Online sales for electronics were up 61% during Prime Day, compared to average daily sales in June, according to Adobe Analytics. 

Beyond Prime Day, Numerator’s Consumer Electronics Tracker, which provides quarterly data into consumer electronics purchases, shows that Amazon dominates the consumer electronics market, accounting for 27% of overall electronics sales in the past year.  

Back-to-school shopping helped Amazon achieve its biggest Prime Day sales event ever. Numerator found that office supplies saw some of the biggest year-over-year growth among shoppers participating in the sale. Adobe also data found that spending for backpacks, lunch boxes and stationary supplies jumped 216% across the two-day sales event. Adobe attributed the uptick in spend to new demand, rather than higher prices. Adobe’s numbers are not adjusted for inflation.

Still, even as households purchase fewer traditional school supplies, overall dollar sales and household spending continue to rise, per Numerator, suggesting inflation has helped to push more consumers towards e-commerce sites during the key shopping season. Indeed, 52% of parents and guardians surveyed by Numerator said buying back-to-school supplies at the best price possible was a top priority, and 69% said they shop during sale events to save money. 

Nearly 31%, of parents say they can’t afford back-to-school shopping this year, and roughly one-third expect to take on debt to cover the cost of supplies, according to a survey from Intuit Credit Karma.

“It’s easier to compare prices online, so I think that helps to drive deal-seeking or discount-seeking among consumers,” said eMarketer retail analyst Sky Canaves.

All told, total back-to-school spend, including for college students, will hit $38.8 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. That’s the second-highest figure the group has ever tallied, after last year’s $41.8 billion marked the biggest back-to-school season to date. As more consumers shop online, online retailers like Amazon stand to gain a significant chunk of the back-to-school shopping pie.

To Darpan Seth, CEO of Nextuple, an omnichannel order management advisory and software firm, the growth of online shopping during the back-to-school shopping season is part of a broader shifts towards e-commerce, which the pandemic accelerated.

“The thing that has come about during Covid is that we’ve all gotten used to home, work and school all getting blended with each other,” said Seth. “As a result, the buying habits are changing.”

Amazon news to know

• Amazon and Google are in conflict over how pollution from data centers’ power use should be disclosed, The Financial Times reports
• Amazon is looking to dismiss a complaint issued by the National Labor Relations Board, which accuses the company of unfair labor practices
• Washington’s Supreme Court has ruled in favor of consumers who have accused Amazon of price-gouging during the pandemic, per The Seattle Times

What we’ve covered

• How brands like BelliWelli and Olipop stand out in a sea of gut health products
• ‘I don’t see a quick end to it’: Fast-food chains compete to woo customers with cheap meal deals
• ‘One of the first places I go’: Gen Z is finding brands via Pinterest