As families prepare for another school year that may include going back to the classroom, e-learning or a hybrid model, Shipt is hoping to make the transition easier with our same-day delivery so you can get all the items you need to achieve success.
It’s that time of the year when the Sunday scaries have now become the summer scaries as teachers and families prepare for the start of a new school year. Here at Shipt we’ve happily spent the last few months doing our homework to provide you with a comprehensive back to school guide, including surveying 1,000 teachers to uncover what students really need this back-to-school season!
Our data analysts expect to see more ‘pre-pandemic’ shopping behaviors particularly for elementary and middle school age students resurface. When adding items to your Shipt cart don’t forget to include a backpack, lunchbox, or items like a calculator to the list, as these products are expected to fly off shelves the fastest with more students expected to head back to the classroom.
However, for those with college-aged kids there’s a good chance you’ll get your first choice when selecting big ticket items as our data shows last year’s college dip in enrollment may extend to a second year this fall. Although back to college items are more costly, they are expected to be more readily available.
Back to school and looking cool
In 2020, despite a significant shift from in-person to e-learning throughout the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of kids’ apparel through Shipt increased 441 % and it’s expected to increase again this year. Across the board all our product categories saw significant increases in 2020, but our most dramatic rise behind kids’ apparel included men’s and women’s apparel, home goods, personal care and school and office supplies.
A+ items according to your teacher
Highlighters are so last season. About one in ten teachers claim sticky notes as their number one teacher hack to help even the most forgetful students keep organized. Additionally, dry erase markers and whiteboards seem to be a big hit with teachers this year, so say goodbye to chalk. And the top three supplies teachers advise parents to get this year: USB drives (23%), calculators (21%) and dictionaries (21%). Don’t be that parent that lets these pro tips fly under the radar!
Sandwiched between success
Our data shows the number one item sold across the Shipt marketplace in the days and weeks leading up to a new school year is Lunchables Turkey & American Cracker Stackers, followed by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner Original and Yoplait Original French Vanilla Yogurt.
The Lonestar State loves Lunchables! Texas accounted for 28% of all the Turkey & American Cracker Lunchable sales for Shipt during the 2020 back to school season. For those who live in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest places like Washington, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Idaho prefer Kraft Mac n Cheese over anything else. We can’t forget about our friends residing in places like Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida who enjoy snacking on Tostitos Scoops Tortilla Chips. And our data shows families in West Virginia love to stock their shelves before the school year with SpaghettiO’s. Lunchables and Kraft Mac and Cheese were both close runner-ups.
Prepared for greatness
Every year we partner with General Mills for their Box Tops for Education program. Last year, in 2020, General Mills went digital for Box Tops and the transition online led to an increase in Shipt sales for Box Tops qualifying items by 3 times the dollar amount compared to 2019.
Shipt connects parents to all the back to school necessities and everyday essentials like after-school snacks, fun and functional supplies and lunchtime favorites brought right to their door. Shipt partners with more than 120 retailers across multiple categories, including grocery, office supplies and home goods, to provide custom delivery solutions powered by a community of 300,000 trusted, personal Shipt Shoppers.