Back-to-school buying shaped weeks before checkout

Adlook has published US research on Back-to-School shopping suggesting many purchase decisions are made before peak campaign activity begins. The findings indicate that children and gift-buyers play a larger role in purchases than many marketers assume.

Its guide found Back-to-School decisions are formed over an eight-to-10-week period through the combined influence of children, parents and gift-buyers. It argues that brands often focus too much spending on the point of conversion rather than the earlier stages when preferences are taking shape.

Among the headline findings, 47% of Back-to-School purchases were gifts from a family member or family friend. That group often falls outside the standard household targeting models and retail media data sets used by advertisers and retailers.

The research also found that 28% of purchases begin with a child's request, making it the largest single source of inspiration ahead of advertising, reviews and social media. In total, 76% of purchases involved a child's influence.

This suggests the person who completes the transaction is often not the one who first shaped the choice. Parents may still make the final purchase, but children, relatives and family friends can influence brand preference well before shopping begins in earnest.

Adlook set its findings against National Retail Federation figures showing that 67% of consumers begin Back-to-School shopping in early July. The comparison points to a gap between when many shoppers start considering purchases and when some brands increase campaign activity.

Decision window

The study adds to a wider advertising debate over how to measure influence before a sale is made. Marketers have long relied on signals tied to transactions, but seasonal shopping periods can involve a longer cycle of discussion, research and requests inside and outside the household.

Adlook said open web environments, contextual advertising and connected TV can help brands reach consumers earlier in that cycle. It linked those channels to moments when parents are researching, children are forming preferences and gift-buyers are deciding what to buy.

The prominence of gift-buyers may be particularly relevant for retail media operators and brands that depend on household-level data. If almost half of purchases come from grandparents, relatives and family friends, standard audience-targeting approaches may miss a significant share of demand.

The findings also challenge the assumption that Back-to-School purchasing is mainly a direct parent-child transaction. A broader network of decision-makers appears to shape spending, especially in categories where gifts and requests influence buying before a parent reaches the checkout.

For retailers, that may have implications for planning seasonal demand and segmenting audiences across media channels. For brands, it raises questions about whether current spending patterns capture enough of the earlier period when preferences are formed.

Adlook based the guide on two proprietary US studies conducted in February. One covered purchase decision dynamics in children's categories and surveyed 6,140 respondents, while the other examined financial decision-making across 8,788 respondents.

Both studies were conducted at a 95% confidence level, according to Adlook. The sample size gives the research weight, although the findings reflect the company's own analysis of the market.

Luca Filardo, Chief Revenue Officer at Adlook, outlined the company's argument in direct terms. "Most Back-to-School media investment is concentrated around the moment the cart is filled," he said.

"But by the time a parent starts actively shopping, many of the key decisions have already been shaped through weeks of influence across content, social conversations, entertainment and peer-driven environments. Brands that wait for intent signals are often arriving after preferences have already formed."

He also pointed to a broader issue in media measurement. "The industry has become extremely effective at measuring conversion, but influence remains significantly under-measured," Filardo said.

"Back-to-School is one of the clearest examples of how consumer decisions are shaped long before a cart is filled. The brands that win are those that were present during the research, conversation and preference-building stages, not just at the point of purchase."