This is the latest installment of the Big-Box Briefing, a weekly Modern Retail+ column about the strategies of major retailers. More from the series →For major brick-and-mortar retailers, back-to-school season this year is largely about a race to the bottom in price and a push to offer the most popular products seen on social media.Many big-box retailers have already started promotions for the back-to-school shopping season, which has become a summer-long shopping event as Amazon’s Prime Day took place in June, earlier than its usual July time slot. Retailers are emphasizing that they have the best deals at low price points and highlighting specific trending products. They’ve also placed an emphasis on partnering with creators and influencers, in an effort to show up on social media, where many people are now doing their shopping research.
This year’s back-to-school promotions aren’t entirely different from last year. But some of the deals are much deeper or widespread than in the past. Walmart, for example, is saying it has the lowest prices in seven years on some items, and Target is saying its entire selection of school supplies costs less than it did last year. These deals come amid elevated concerns about affordability, especially surrounding the continued war in Iran.
