It’s that time of year when students groan, parents rejoice, and retailers look forward to the boost in revenue that comes with back to school (BTS) sales. In some ways, BTS is as much a part of the American tradition as Black Friday or Christmas with the added bonus of a tax-free weekend; retailers spend months planning store layouts, advertisements, and window displays to entice shoppers into their locations.

This 2019 season will bring retailers an estimated $80.7 billion dollars*. The majority of spending will be on clothing and accessories with electronics falling in a close second. Consumers will spend nearly $700 per household for children in K-12th grade, and almost $1,000 for children going to college. The per-household spending has increased over 2018’s numbers for both grade school students and college students.

Knowing the BTS season plays a role in yearly B2C revenue, retailers have already begun to research the latest trends to be ready for next year. As the marketing team brainstorms the best ways to get shoppers interested, merchandisers surf the web and visit trade shows in hopes of finding the next big thing for 2020. With over 5,000 buyers in CSG’s Discount Stores retail database, it’s never too early to look ahead.

*Estimates per National Retail Federation