Reasons to Read

Uncover how rising costs and tariff concerns are reshaping consumer back-to-school spending decisions in 2025.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

• How widespread are budget overruns across major back-to-school categories, and which products are most affected?
• To what extent are higher prices—rather than higher volumes—driving overspending among families?
• How do shoppers perceive tariffs as influencing prices, and how are they adjusting their purchasing behavior in response?
• Which items remain non-negotiable for families despite financial pressures, and which categories are being deprioritized?

Data in this report include: overspending rates by product category; shopper attribution of overspending to price vs. volume; consumer perceptions of tariff impacts on prices; purchase completion and intent rates for essential vs. discretionary categories.

Other relevant research:

• Dive into the full US Back to School 2025 series for more trends and shopper insights.
• Analyst Corner: Five Back-to-School Shopping Trends to Watch, with Madhav Pitaliya
• Retail Under Pressure: How Will Tariffs Disrupt the Back-to-School and Holiday Seasons?
• The Coresight Research US Consumer Survey Databank provides additional insight into US consumer behaviors from our weekly surveys.