“Back-to-class shopping is one of the most important consumer shopping occasions of the year," says Matthew Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation (NRF).  "Our research for 2023 shows American consumers are eager to jumpstart their back-to-school and college purchases early."

Based on per capita spending estimates from the NRF, Wilmington, Delaware area parents are expected to spend a record $96,082,853 to prepare more than 107,400 children returning to grades K-12. These expenditures will exceed 2022 back-to-school sales by 12.5%

Expenditures to equip K-12 students in the Wilmington area will be on:

• Clothing: $35.1 million
• Shoes: $27.7 million
• Supplies: $18.1 million
• Electronics: $15.1 million

In addition to expenditures for K-12,  $ 217.6 million is expected to be spent in the Wilmington area to prepare college students for their return to campus. This is 27% more than was spent last year. Another record.

The biggest spending categories to equip Wilmington area college students in 2023 will include:

• Electronics: $53.7 million
• Dorm/Apartment Furniture: $30,3 million
• Clothing: $28.9 million
• Food Items: $24.1 million

In order to capture the largest portion of this record back-to-class cash, Wilmington small business owners will need to fight to keep these dollars local. According to the NRF, a painful majority of shoppers plan to buy online and in department stores.  While only 13-15% of consumers plan to buy locally.

There are 107,400 school-aged children in the Wilmington, Delaware area.  Based on forecasts from the National Retail Federation (NRF), local parents are expected to spend a record $83.4 million to prepare these kids to return to the classroom this fall. 

Overall, the NRF expects back-to-school shoppers to spend almost 10% more in 2021 than they did last year.

“The pandemic forced parents and their school-aged children to quickly adapt to virtual learning, and they did it with an incredible amount of resolve and flexibility,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “We enter the new school year with plans to return to the classroom and retailers are prepared to help Americans find and purchase whatever they need to make this transition as seamless as possible.”

According to the NRF, more than 51% of parents have already started buying for their K-12 students.  But, for Tri-state area business owners there is still time to benefit.

The NRF reports that nearly 76% of K-12 shoppers are still waiting on lists of school supplies needed. On average, consumers have only completed 18% of the shopping.