4 Smart Strategies to Win the 2025 Back-to-School Season
Updated August 2025 with new data, audience insights, and campaign strategies for back-to-school advertisers.
If you’re still treating back-to-school as just another retail season, it’s time for a pop quiz:
- When do parents start shopping?
- What’s the average spend per kid?
- Which audience is quietly dropping $3 billion of their own money each year?
If you didn’t know the answers, don’t worry, you’re not getting graded. But your ad strategy might be.
Back-to-school (BTS) isn’t just about pencils and promos anymore. It’s a $125 billion cultural moment driven by mobile-first parents, last-minute college students, and ultra-resourceful teachers, all of whom are shopping with intention.
So whether you’re promoting snacks, sneakers, or software, here’s what you need to know (and do) to make your back-to-school campaign actually earn top marks.
Who’s Shopping? What’s Driving Their Spend?
Back-to-school audiences are diverse, but they share one thing: they’re out to make the most of every dollar — and every click.
Students and Parents Are Shopping Early and Everywhere
School may start in August or September, but the hunt for deals begins much earlier. According to NerdWallet, 77% of shoppers plan to buy supplies in-store, and 65% will also shop online — proof that hybrid shopping is now the norm.
They’re cost-conscious and crafty:
- 34% are clipping digital coupons
- 22% are buying store brands over name brands
- Another 34% are reusing supplies from last year
Even big-ticket college shoppers are being strategic, spending $1,364.75 per household, often just 1–2 weeks before school starts. Procrastination? Maybe. But urgency = opportunity for advertisers.
Teachers Are Quiet Power Spenders
Here’s a statistic that deserves more attention: Over 90% of teachers use their own money for school supplies, spending an average of $895 per year. That adds up to a jaw-dropping $3.24 billion in 2025 alone, and no, we didn’t add an extra zero.
The average teacher salary? $74,177. So yeah, they notice your sale ads, especially if you’re offering essentials like paper, markers, tissues, or anything they can’t fit on their Amazon Wish List.
Influence Matters More Than Ever
In 2025, it’s not just what you say — it’s who says it. 98% of shoppers trust creator recommendations when choosing BTS products. TikTok hauls. Instagram reviews. YouTube unboxings. Shoppers are taking notes — and brands not investing in creator-style content might be missing the whole class.
How Advertisers Can Make the Grade
So now that you know who’s shopping, how they’re shopping, and what they’re looking for — how do you actually show up in the right moment with the right message?
Here are four A+ tips for building a smarter 2025 back-to-school campaign:
1. Show Up Everywhere with an Omnichannel Strategy
Your audiences aren’t just switching tabs; they’re switching devices, locations, and platforms. The smartest BTS advertisers treat every channel as a touchpoint in a continuous journey.
What this looks like in practice:
- Serve mobile-first ads with quick-load creative during lunch breaks
- Use CTV and OTT to build brand awareness while families unwind
- Layer in digital out-of-home (DOOH) near major retailers to influence in-the-moment decisions
- Create campaigns that travel with the shopper — from screen to stor
When done right, omnichannel isn’t just about visibility — it’s about staying relevant every step of the way.
2. Tap Into Retailer First-Party Data
Retail Media Networks are no longer a trend; they’re table stakes. They offer the deterministic, cookieless targeting that today’s advertisers crave and the purchase-based audience segments BTS campaigns need.
Digilant partners with leading RMNs so you can reach parents browsing backpacks, students comparing laptops, or teachers eyeing classroom staples.
Bonus: It’s not just for endemic brands anymore. That new energy drink? Those eyeglasses? If your product fits the moment, Retail Media can help you get it in the cart.
3. Lead With Value. Say It Loudly.
Value-conscious shoppers don’t just want deals — they expect them. That means promotions, loyalty offers, or limited-time discounts should be baked into your creative, not hidden behind a click.
Make it fun:
- Scratch-to-reveal ad units
- Countdown clocks to drive urgency
- Dynamic creative that shows current sales or bundle options
Especially for higher-price items (like electronics or furniture), messaging should reinforce longevity and quality — not just price.
4. Go Local. And We Mean Hyperlocal
Let’s say a parent is standing in Target, checking their list. Now imagine your ad pops up with the exact item they’re considering, plus a store locator. That’s hyperlocal targeting in action, and it works.
Use real-time and historical location data to target shoppers who are:
- Near your store
- Visiting competitors
- Browsing school zones or campuses
You can even combine this with CTV and DOOH to create a surround-sound effect: physical, digital, and right on time.
Want More Where That Came From?
Let’s be honest — you can’t wing back-to-school and expect results. But with the right strategy, the right signals, and the right media partner? You’ll be top of the class.
Let’s plan your smartest campaign yet →
Or if you want the full 2025 breakdown: stats, shopper behavior, and strategy tips all in one place? Download our Complete Back-to-School Advertising Playbook.