Back-to-school marketing is a mash up of AI tech and value messaging

As classrooms and dorm rooms fill up again, the 2026 back-to-school season has presented marketers with unique challenges to make their appeal amidst economic uncertainty. Inflation is a top concern for parents this year, per Epsilon data. While marketers have contended with inflationary concerns in the past, the increased usage of digital tools such as artificial intelligence has added an extra layer of complexity.  

Increased economic pressure combined with the broader availability of tools such as chatbots has created a consumer willing and empowered to hunt for deals. Loyalty programs have also become a go-to for deal-hungry shoppers, with 46% of parents planning to use them to minimize costs, up 7% from a year ago, according to Epsilon. 

Back-to-school spending has remained flat year-over-year, with the average parent expected to spend $557 per child, per Deloitte data. While spending remains flat, technology is significantly impacting purchasing behavior. In its 19th annual back-to-school survey, Deloitte found a correlation between the number of digital technologies used and spending. 

Parents who use no technology, representing 20% of respondents, plan to spend $381. However, parents who use social media, search and AI (a group representing 29% of respondents) plan to spend nearly double that. The study found the addition of AI to parents’ shopping toolkit translates to a $206 jump in spend compared to parents who use social media and search alone, a cohort making up 21% of respondents.  

The result is the emergence of the “hyper value-seeker” consumer, and marketers have responded accordingly. Brands such as JCPenney have stepped up marketing efforts around price guarantees and American Eagle and Target have diversified the influencers they work with to connect with a variety of consumers. 

While grade and high school spending is anticipated to stay flat, college spending is set to increase, per NRF data.   

This increase in spending has made college students a demographic of interest, especially for brands such as Urban Outfitters, which aired its

first connected TVcommercial in August. “All Together Now” embraces campus life, specifically gameday excitement. 

AI has transformed how consumers interact with brands, and that remains the case this back-to-school season. As consumers increasingly search for the best value and deals, AI has become a price comparison tool for many. Notably, there isn’t a difference in usage rates between parents of grade/high school students and college ones, per Epsilon’s “2026 back-to-school spending trends” report.

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