Back-to-School Shopping to Take a Hit

As the back-to-school shopping season kicks off, shoppers will spend more than last year, but make fewer trips to the store, according to ShopperTrak, a retail foot traffic analyzer. National retail sales are expected to rise 3.8 percent in August, while foot traffic will decrease 2.9 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Rising gas prices and an uncertain national economy are impacting this year’s school shopping season, according to ShopperTrak.  “With back-to-school shoppers planning fewer trips to the store – and continued economic uncertainty – retailers must maximize the limited number of opportunities to convert browsers to buyers,” says ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin.

Back-to-school sales and traffic have historically served as a key indicator for the winter holiday shopping season for retailers.