of the United Kingdom’s capitol city.
Nearly half (48%) of parental spending in the US and UK is directly influenced by Gen Alpha. This is a data point uncovered by C-level advisory firm Teneo in a survey of 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014. But because the demographic includes children born through 2024, the data reflects a mere fraction of Gen Alpha’s commercial power, especially during major retail events such as the back-to-school season, which equally represent utility, value, and expression.
Seasonal data from PwC and Deloitte reaffirm the true nuances of what we buy and why. They tell a complex story of how we define value in our individual and family lives; they also suggest how we validate our spending habits based on the outcome, whether that’s driving household efficiency, conveying financial savviness, or showcasing personal taste and style.
Families expect to spend $922 on back-to-school, with 47% planning to spend more than last year, according to PwC. That budget is then spread across apparel and footwear ($278), technology ($222), equipment for after-school activities ($161), school supplies ($122), books and educational materials ($95), and other one-time school-year necessities ($44).
Kelly Pedersen, Global Retail Leader of PwC US, noted that this “bulk-buying moment” is actually the first domino to fall in a recurring series of purchases tied to the school year: “The family spends over $600 every single month on school, so this had us thinking one thing: you’ve got to target your household. You’ve got to find ways to get them in, because that $922 is going to perpetuate into another $7,000 throughout the year.”
Retailers may be able to use limited deals and sales to drive back-to-school conversions, especially when there’s an immediate, utilitarian need. But 58% of parents said their children’s preferences are influencing their back-to-school purchases, trumping school-provided lists (55%) and even sales, promotions, and discounts (54%). A household needs packs of pencils, dry-erase markers, and maybe even a few new outfits, but the individual wants the newest MacBook Pro and a pair of New Balance sneakers. As Pedersen explained, brands have more to gain when they create meaningful, omnimodal moments centered on individual and household value. That’s how you turn an acquisition event into the beginning of a long-term relationship.
“It’s not loyalty at the individual consumer level. How do you get that household? Because that household is made up of different people who are all consumers. It’s almost gone from a funnel through the parents to a blast radius of everybody in that house who can go and purchase.”
‘Value’ Gains New Meaning
Economic sentiment tends to frame any retail trend analysis. But since 2020, consumer sentiment has been relatively low, while growth has remained high. This contradiction has shaped how we interpret consumer behavior. We’re stressed about money, but we consume to ease the pain.
Deloitte research put firm numbers behind the feeling: 57% of parents said they expect the economy to worsen over the year ahead, the highest level reported since 2020. As a result, parents are employing more “value-seeking behaviors,” with one-third using a combination of search, social media, and generative AI in their back-to-school shopping journey. Ironically, consumers who engage in more “value-seeking behaviors” end up spending about 14% more. This reaffirms that value doesn’t always equate to saving money.
“‘Value-seeking’ means you’re trying to get the most value for your dollar, and so we’re finding the more thoughtful and strategic a shopper is, the more it can actually be correlated with a higher spend,” said Brian McCarthy, Principal of Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution, and Consumer Products at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Those shoppers that are leaning heavily into AI tools to ask more questions feel really confident that they’re going to make a particular purchase decision.”
Both PwC and Deloitte were able to pinpoint how channel use—or what we call ‘omnimodal behaviors’—plays into actual purchase decisions. PwC found that parents’ in-store shopping fell from 79% in 2025 to 70% this year. However, digital behaviors picked up across online marketplaces (67%), branded eCommerce (49%), social media and influencer marketing (23%), and AI (23%).
73% of families will use AI while back-to-school shopping, whether it be to research brands, compare products, or plan their budgets.
- PwC
Savvy consumers are also more likely to alter their behavior to reflect what matters most to them in a given moment. “I may be brand loyal on a particular category, but I don't need to be retailer loyal for that brand,” McCarthy noted. “Footwear is a good example. There may be a pair of sneakers I like, maybe it’s the colorway or the style; and I may find it with a retailer I know and trust, but I can ask AI if there’s another retailer selling this exact same size, style, and colorway, but at a different price point. So I'm still brand loyal at that point, but I'm willing to change where I spend that dollar to get that pair of sneakers at a better price.”
This is another characteristic of our omnimodal reality, and it reaffirms the additional investment brands and retailers should make in showing up in AI channels appropriately, with both price and inventory accuracy.
Mapping the Alpha Influence
Like PwC’s research, Deloitte asked parents to quantify just how far they’ll go to make their kids’ next year a success. Nearly as many parents (59%) said their child’s preferences influenced them to spend more.
45% of parents say their child has a specific must-have item in mind, of which 57% say they will splurge on it.
“I see a little bit of a correlation between the income band that a parent is in, and what percent of them say their child influences them—and it tends to be that the higher the income band you are in, the more likely your child is able to influence you,” McCarthy said. “I think part of that may be that you have a little more budget available, so you can get a particular style or brand of sneakers that your child really wants. Or you don’t just get the backpack, but all the backpack accessories and bag charms.”
PwC gained additional context into Gen Alpha’s behaviors by conducting dedicated research for this cohort behind the back-to-school season, creating a much-needed closed loop between what parents say and feel about their kids and what their kids are actually doing while engaging with commerce. Pedersen shared some of the more notable digital behaviors that are giving Gen Alpha consumers the autonomy they need to make more informed purchase decisions:
- 72% of kids 7-14 own a smartphone. By age 13, 89% own a smartphone
- 3.6 hours a day are spent on screens, more than double the time spent outdoors and reading, per Pedersen
- 57% of second and third graders say social media drives purchasing decisions
- YouTube is the number one platform for this cohort
Kids and teens will always be influenced by their peers. These innate cultural triggers reaffirm or alter the trends they follow and ultimately, what they buy. YouTube creators add another layer of influence, conveying the lifestyles and value systems Gen Alpha wants to subscribe to. But McCarthy raised a point that tends to be overlooked in this age of hyper-connectivity: parents are still a strong influence, and that context will always be an underlying, largely silent factor.
“They’re going to be influenced by you as the parent,” McCarthy said. “But they’re also now going to be influenced by what they see through all their other sources of information... but I think also like their communities, their friends, and what’s deemed cool in distinct micro-communities.”
A Home of Omnimodal Contradictions
All households use an omnimodal mindset, with each consumer using different channels to meet different mental, emotional, and logistical needs. But the combination of channels that are not just used, but trusted, varies greatly by demographic and by individual. Every household has its own set of contradictions, and both Pedersen and McCarthy eagerly called them out:
The same household that embraces AI also rejects it.
Like Deloitte, PwC found that parents were using AI to find inspiration and deals. Conversely, Gen Alpha largely rejects AI and will flag any content that looks AI-generated. Brands can serve agents without losing their humanity or outsourcing the creative process to LLMs.
Media fragmentation has created diverged shopper journeys.
McCarthy shared a personal anecdote that perfectly encapsulates the media fragmentation living in so many modern households. “My kids use YouTube more than cable television, and my six-year-old daughter was baffled that the hotel TV was just telling us what we were supposed to watch. They’re probably being targeted with more specific content and advertisements, and they now are becoming interested in different brands than we may be familiar with because we’re engaging with media differently as adults.”
Influencers have an 'authenticity' limit.
Consumers’ reliance on social media has “created a whole economic model around influencers,” Pedersen said. “Yet as soon as [these influencers] become successful, people abandon them.” Niche creators build their smaller, yet more engaged followings due to their expertise and credibility. Their passion for a particular trend or lifestyle is carried through with gusto in their content, and that’s what makes them a draw, especially for younger consumers.
The Age of Autonomy in Action
This year’s back-to-school studies are a slow, steady build on last year’s trends. This time last year, we mapped how younger consumers were turning to creators and media platforms to further solidify the identities they were building in real-life social situations.
The distinct difference this year, though, is that young consumers are turning their influence into personal autonomy. Pedersen shared that some teens are now starting side hustles online—selling old trading cards and clothes on resale sites, for instance—and using digital payment options like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Cash to make online purchases. In fact, among kids under 14, 25% of them make their own online purchases, despite not having credit or debit cards.
For back-to-school shopping specifically, parents are giving their kids more power over the family cart: 40% said they would allow their kids to add items directly to their digital shopping carts, while 31% said their kids would have their own attached carts.
Brands can leverage this newfound autonomy by offering shared-cart capabilities, shared wish-list features, and even loyalty programs specifically for younger consumers. But these tactical capabilities are only as valuable as the ecosystems that brands build. Because a blast radius reverberates—and brands that design for the entire household will feel the long-term value.
Nearly half (48%) of parental spending in the US and UK is directly influenced by Gen Alpha. This is a data point uncovered by C-level advisory firm Teneo in a survey of 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014. But because the demographic includes children born through 2024, the data reflects a mere fraction of Gen Alpha’s commercial power, especially during major retail events such as the back-to-school season, which equally represent utility, value, and expression.
Seasonal data from PwC and Deloitte reaffirm the true nuances of what we buy and why. They tell a complex story of how we define value in our individual and family lives; they also suggest how we validate our spending habits based on the outcome, whether that’s driving household efficiency, conveying financial savviness, or showcasing personal taste and style.
Families expect to spend $922 on back-to-school, with 47% planning to spend more than last year, according to PwC. That budget is then spread across apparel and footwear ($278), technology ($222), equipment for after-school activities ($161), school supplies ($122), books and educational materials ($95), and other one-time school-year necessities ($44).
Kelly Pedersen, Global Retail Leader of PwC US, noted that this “bulk-buying moment” is actually the first domino to fall in a recurring series of purchases tied to the school year: “The family spends over $600 every single month on school, so this had us thinking one thing: you’ve got to target your household. You’ve got to find ways to get them in, because that $922 is going to perpetuate into another $7,000 throughout the year.”
Retailers may be able to use limited deals and sales to drive back-to-school conversions, especially when there’s an immediate, utilitarian need. But 58% of parents said their children’s preferences are influencing their back-to-school purchases, trumping school-provided lists (55%) and even sales, promotions, and discounts (54%). A household needs packs of pencils, dry-erase markers, and maybe even a few new outfits, but the individual wants the newest MacBook Pro and a pair of New Balance sneakers. As Pedersen explained, brands have more to gain when they create meaningful, omnimodal moments centered on individual and household value. That’s how you turn an acquisition event into the beginning of a long-term relationship.
“It’s not loyalty at the individual consumer level. How do you get that household? Because that household is made up of different people who are all consumers. It’s almost gone from a funnel through the parents to a blast radius of everybody in that house who can go and purchase.”
‘Value’ Gains New Meaning
Economic sentiment tends to frame any retail trend analysis. But since 2020, consumer sentiment has been relatively low, while growth has remained high. This contradiction has shaped how we interpret consumer behavior. We’re stressed about money, but we consume to ease the pain.
Deloitte research put firm numbers behind the feeling: 57% of parents said they expect the economy to worsen over the year ahead, the highest level reported since 2020. As a result, parents are employing more “value-seeking behaviors,” with one-third using a combination of search, social media, and generative AI in their back-to-school shopping journey. Ironically, consumers who engage in more “value-seeking behaviors” end up spending about 14% more. This reaffirms that value doesn’t always equate to saving money.
“‘Value-seeking’ means you’re trying to get the most value for your dollar, and so we’re finding the more thoughtful and strategic a shopper is, the more it can actually be correlated with a higher spend,” said Brian McCarthy, Principal of Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution, and Consumer Products at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Those shoppers that are leaning heavily into AI tools to ask more questions feel really confident that they’re going to make a particular purchase decision.”
Both PwC and Deloitte were able to pinpoint how channel use—or what we call ‘omnimodal behaviors’—plays into actual purchase decisions. PwC found that parents’ in-store shopping fell from 79% in 2025 to 70% this year. However, digital behaviors picked up across online marketplaces (67%), branded eCommerce (49%), social media and influencer marketing (23%), and AI (23%).
73% of families will use AI while back-to-school shopping, whether it be to research brands, compare products, or plan their budgets.
- PwC
Savvy consumers are also more likely to alter their behavior to reflect what matters most to them in a given moment. “I may be brand loyal on a particular category, but I don't need to be retailer loyal for that brand,” McCarthy noted. “Footwear is a good example. There may be a pair of sneakers I like, maybe it’s the colorway or the style; and I may find it with a retailer I know and trust, but I can ask AI if there’s another retailer selling this exact same size, style, and colorway, but at a different price point. So I'm still brand loyal at that point, but I'm willing to change where I spend that dollar to get that pair of sneakers at a better price.”
This is another characteristic of our omnimodal reality, and it reaffirms the additional investment brands and retailers should make in showing up in AI channels appropriately, with both price and inventory accuracy.
Mapping the Alpha Influence
Like PwC’s research, Deloitte asked parents to quantify just how far they’ll go to make their kids’ next year a success. Nearly as many parents (59%) said their child’s preferences influenced them to spend more.
45% of parents say their child has a specific must-have item in mind, of which 57% say they will splurge on it.
“I see a little bit of a correlation between the income band that a parent is in, and what percent of them say their child influences them—and it tends to be that the higher the income band you are in, the more likely your child is able to influence you,” McCarthy said. “I think part of that may be that you have a little more budget available, so you can get a particular style or brand of sneakers that your child really wants. Or you don’t just get the backpack, but all the backpack accessories and bag charms.”
PwC gained additional context into Gen Alpha’s behaviors by conducting dedicated research for this cohort behind the back-to-school season, creating a much-needed closed loop between what parents say and feel about their kids and what their kids are actually doing while engaging with commerce. Pedersen shared some of the more notable digital behaviors that are giving Gen Alpha consumers the autonomy they need to make more informed purchase decisions:
- 72% of kids 7-14 own a smartphone. By age 13, 89% own a smartphone
- 3.6 hours a day are spent on screens, more than double the time spent outdoors and reading, per Pedersen
- 57% of second and third graders say social media drives purchasing decisions
- YouTube is the number one platform for this cohort
Kids and teens will always be influenced by their peers. These innate cultural triggers reaffirm or alter the trends they follow and ultimately, what they buy. YouTube creators add another layer of influence, conveying the lifestyles and value systems Gen Alpha wants to subscribe to. But McCarthy raised a point that tends to be overlooked in this age of hyper-connectivity: parents are still a strong influence, and that context will always be an underlying, largely silent factor.
“They’re going to be influenced by you as the parent,” McCarthy said. “But they’re also now going to be influenced by what they see through all their other sources of information... but I think also like their communities, their friends, and what’s deemed cool in distinct micro-communities.”
A Home of Omnimodal Contradictions
All households use an omnimodal mindset, with each consumer using different channels to meet different mental, emotional, and logistical needs. But the combination of channels that are not just used, but trusted, varies greatly by demographic and by individual. Every household has its own set of contradictions, and both Pedersen and McCarthy eagerly called them out:
The same household that embraces AI also rejects it.
Like Deloitte, PwC found that parents were using AI to find inspiration and deals. Conversely, Gen Alpha largely rejects AI and will flag any content that looks AI-generated. Brands can serve agents without losing their humanity or outsourcing the creative process to LLMs.
Media fragmentation has created diverged shopper journeys.
McCarthy shared a personal anecdote that perfectly encapsulates the media fragmentation living in so many modern households. “My kids use YouTube more than cable television, and my six-year-old daughter was baffled that the hotel TV was just telling us what we were supposed to watch. They’re probably being targeted with more specific content and advertisements, and they now are becoming interested in different brands than we may be familiar with because we’re engaging with media differently as adults.”
Influencers have an 'authenticity' limit.
Consumers’ reliance on social media has “created a whole economic model around influencers,” Pedersen said. “Yet as soon as [these influencers] become successful, people abandon them.” Niche creators build their smaller, yet more engaged followings due to their expertise and credibility. Their passion for a particular trend or lifestyle is carried through with gusto in their content, and that’s what makes them a draw, especially for younger consumers.
The Age of Autonomy in Action
This year’s back-to-school studies are a slow, steady build on last year’s trends. This time last year, we mapped how younger consumers were turning to creators and media platforms to further solidify the identities they were building in real-life social situations.
The distinct difference this year, though, is that young consumers are turning their influence into personal autonomy. Pedersen shared that some teens are now starting side hustles online—selling old trading cards and clothes on resale sites, for instance—and using digital payment options like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Cash to make online purchases. In fact, among kids under 14, 25% of them make their own online purchases, despite not having credit or debit cards.
For back-to-school shopping specifically, parents are giving their kids more power over the family cart: 40% said they would allow their kids to add items directly to their digital shopping carts, while 31% said their kids would have their own attached carts.
Brands can leverage this newfound autonomy by offering shared-cart capabilities, shared wish-list features, and even loyalty programs specifically for younger consumers. But these tactical capabilities are only as valuable as the ecosystems that brands build. Because a blast radius reverberates—and brands that design for the entire household will feel the long-term value.
Nearly half (48%) of parental spending in the US and UK is directly influenced by Gen Alpha. This is a data point uncovered by C-level advisory firm Teneo in a survey of 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014. But because the demographic includes children born through 2024, the data reflects a mere fraction of Gen Alpha’s commercial power, especially during major retail events such as the back-to-school season, which equally represent utility, value, and expression.
Seasonal data from PwC and Deloitte reaffirm the true nuances of what we buy and why. They tell a complex story of how we define value in our individual and family lives; they also suggest how we validate our spending habits based on the outcome, whether that’s driving household efficiency, conveying financial savviness, or showcasing personal taste and style.
Families expect to spend $922 on back-to-school, with 47% planning to spend more than last year, according to PwC. That budget is then spread across apparel and footwear ($278), technology ($222), equipment for after-school activities ($161), school supplies ($122), books and educational materials ($95), and other one-time school-year necessities ($44).
Kelly Pedersen, Global Retail Leader of PwC US, noted that this “bulk-buying moment” is actually the first domino to fall in a recurring series of purchases tied to the school year: “The family spends over $600 every single month on school, so this had us thinking one thing: you’ve got to target your household. You’ve got to find ways to get them in, because that $922 is going to perpetuate into another $7,000 throughout the year.”
Retailers may be able to use limited deals and sales to drive back-to-school conversions, especially when there’s an immediate, utilitarian need. But 58% of parents said their children’s preferences are influencing their back-to-school purchases, trumping school-provided lists (55%) and even sales, promotions, and discounts (54%). A household needs packs of pencils, dry-erase markers, and maybe even a few new outfits, but the individual wants the newest MacBook Pro and a pair of New Balance sneakers. As Pedersen explained, brands have more to gain when they create meaningful, omnimodal moments centered on individual and household value. That’s how you turn an acquisition event into the beginning of a long-term relationship.
“It’s not loyalty at the individual consumer level. How do you get that household? Because that household is made up of different people who are all consumers. It’s almost gone from a funnel through the parents to a blast radius of everybody in that house who can go and purchase.”
‘Value’ Gains New Meaning
Economic sentiment tends to frame any retail trend analysis. But since 2020, consumer sentiment has been relatively low, while growth has remained high. This contradiction has shaped how we interpret consumer behavior. We’re stressed about money, but we consume to ease the pain.
Deloitte research put firm numbers behind the feeling: 57% of parents said they expect the economy to worsen over the year ahead, the highest level reported since 2020. As a result, parents are employing more “value-seeking behaviors,” with one-third using a combination of search, social media, and generative AI in their back-to-school shopping journey. Ironically, consumers who engage in more “value-seeking behaviors” end up spending about 14% more. This reaffirms that value doesn’t always equate to saving money.
“‘Value-seeking’ means you’re trying to get the most value for your dollar, and so we’re finding the more thoughtful and strategic a shopper is, the more it can actually be correlated with a higher spend,” said Brian McCarthy, Principal of Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution, and Consumer Products at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Those shoppers that are leaning heavily into AI tools to ask more questions feel really confident that they’re going to make a particular purchase decision.”
Both PwC and Deloitte were able to pinpoint how channel use—or what we call ‘omnimodal behaviors’—plays into actual purchase decisions. PwC found that parents’ in-store shopping fell from 79% in 2025 to 70% this year. However, digital behaviors picked up across online marketplaces (67%), branded eCommerce (49%), social media and influencer marketing (23%), and AI (23%).
73% of families will use AI while back-to-school shopping, whether it be to research brands, compare products, or plan their budgets.
- PwC
Savvy consumers are also more likely to alter their behavior to reflect what matters most to them in a given moment. “I may be brand loyal on a particular category, but I don't need to be retailer loyal for that brand,” McCarthy noted. “Footwear is a good example. There may be a pair of sneakers I like, maybe it’s the colorway or the style; and I may find it with a retailer I know and trust, but I can ask AI if there’s another retailer selling this exact same size, style, and colorway, but at a different price point. So I'm still brand loyal at that point, but I'm willing to change where I spend that dollar to get that pair of sneakers at a better price.”
This is another characteristic of our omnimodal reality, and it reaffirms the additional investment brands and retailers should make in showing up in AI channels appropriately, with both price and inventory accuracy.
Mapping the Alpha Influence
Like PwC’s research, Deloitte asked parents to quantify just how far they’ll go to make their kids’ next year a success. Nearly as many parents (59%) said their child’s preferences influenced them to spend more.
45% of parents say their child has a specific must-have item in mind, of which 57% say they will splurge on it.
“I see a little bit of a correlation between the income band that a parent is in, and what percent of them say their child influences them—and it tends to be that the higher the income band you are in, the more likely your child is able to influence you,” McCarthy said. “I think part of that may be that you have a little more budget available, so you can get a particular style or brand of sneakers that your child really wants. Or you don’t just get the backpack, but all the backpack accessories and bag charms.”
PwC gained additional context into Gen Alpha’s behaviors by conducting dedicated research for this cohort behind the back-to-school season, creating a much-needed closed loop between what parents say and feel about their kids and what their kids are actually doing while engaging with commerce. Pedersen shared some of the more notable digital behaviors that are giving Gen Alpha consumers the autonomy they need to make more informed purchase decisions:
- 72% of kids 7-14 own a smartphone. By age 13, 89% own a smartphone
- 3.6 hours a day are spent on screens, more than double the time spent outdoors and reading, per Pedersen
- 57% of second and third graders say social media drives purchasing decisions
- YouTube is the number one platform for this cohort
Kids and teens will always be influenced by their peers. These innate cultural triggers reaffirm or alter the trends they follow and ultimately, what they buy. YouTube creators add another layer of influence, conveying the lifestyles and value systems Gen Alpha wants to subscribe to. But McCarthy raised a point that tends to be overlooked in this age of hyper-connectivity: parents are still a strong influence, and that context will always be an underlying, largely silent factor.
“They’re going to be influenced by you as the parent,” McCarthy said. “But they’re also now going to be influenced by what they see through all their other sources of information... but I think also like their communities, their friends, and what’s deemed cool in distinct micro-communities.”
A Home of Omnimodal Contradictions
All households use an omnimodal mindset, with each consumer using different channels to meet different mental, emotional, and logistical needs. But the combination of channels that are not just used, but trusted, varies greatly by demographic and by individual. Every household has its own set of contradictions, and both Pedersen and McCarthy eagerly called them out:
The same household that embraces AI also rejects it.
Like Deloitte, PwC found that parents were using AI to find inspiration and deals. Conversely, Gen Alpha largely rejects AI and will flag any content that looks AI-generated. Brands can serve agents without losing their humanity or outsourcing the creative process to LLMs.
Media fragmentation has created diverged shopper journeys.
McCarthy shared a personal anecdote that perfectly encapsulates the media fragmentation living in so many modern households. “My kids use YouTube more than cable television, and my six-year-old daughter was baffled that the hotel TV was just telling us what we were supposed to watch. They’re probably being targeted with more specific content and advertisements, and they now are becoming interested in different brands than we may be familiar with because we’re engaging with media differently as adults.”
Influencers have an 'authenticity' limit.
Consumers’ reliance on social media has “created a whole economic model around influencers,” Pedersen said. “Yet as soon as [these influencers] become successful, people abandon them.” Niche creators build their smaller, yet more engaged followings due to their expertise and credibility. Their passion for a particular trend or lifestyle is carried through with gusto in their content, and that’s what makes them a draw, especially for younger consumers.
The Age of Autonomy in Action
This year’s back-to-school studies are a slow, steady build on last year’s trends. This time last year, we mapped how younger consumers were turning to creators and media platforms to further solidify the identities they were building in real-life social situations.
The distinct difference this year, though, is that young consumers are turning their influence into personal autonomy. Pedersen shared that some teens are now starting side hustles online—selling old trading cards and clothes on resale sites, for instance—and using digital payment options like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Cash to make online purchases. In fact, among kids under 14, 25% of them make their own online purchases, despite not having credit or debit cards.
For back-to-school shopping specifically, parents are giving their kids more power over the family cart: 40% said they would allow their kids to add items directly to their digital shopping carts, while 31% said their kids would have their own attached carts.
Brands can leverage this newfound autonomy by offering shared-cart capabilities, shared wish-list features, and even loyalty programs specifically for younger consumers. But these tactical capabilities are only as valuable as the ecosystems that brands build. Because a blast radius reverberates—and brands that design for the entire household will feel the long-term value.
Nearly half (48%) of parental spending in the US and UK is directly influenced by Gen Alpha. This is a data point uncovered by C-level advisory firm Teneo in a survey of 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014. But because the demographic includes children born through 2024, the data reflects a mere fraction of Gen Alpha’s commercial power, especially during major retail events such as the back-to-school season, which equally represent utility, value, and expression.
Seasonal data from PwC and Deloitte reaffirm the true nuances of what we buy and why. They tell a complex story of how we define value in our individual and family lives; they also suggest how we validate our spending habits based on the outcome, whether that’s driving household efficiency, conveying financial savviness, or showcasing personal taste and style.
Families expect to spend $922 on back-to-school, with 47% planning to spend more than last year, according to PwC. That budget is then spread across apparel and footwear ($278), technology ($222), equipment for after-school activities ($161), school supplies ($122), books and educational materials ($95), and other one-time school-year necessities ($44).
Kelly Pedersen, Global Retail Leader of PwC US, noted that this “bulk-buying moment” is actually the first domino to fall in a recurring series of purchases tied to the school year: “The family spends over $600 every single month on school, so this had us thinking one thing: you’ve got to target your household. You’ve got to find ways to get them in, because that $922 is going to perpetuate into another $7,000 throughout the year.”
Retailers may be able to use limited deals and sales to drive back-to-school conversions, especially when there’s an immediate, utilitarian need. But 58% of parents said their children’s preferences are influencing their back-to-school purchases, trumping school-provided lists (55%) and even sales, promotions, and discounts (54%). A household needs packs of pencils, dry-erase markers, and maybe even a few new outfits, but the individual wants the newest MacBook Pro and a pair of New Balance sneakers. As Pedersen explained, brands have more to gain when they create meaningful, omnimodal moments centered on individual and household value. That’s how you turn an acquisition event into the beginning of a long-term relationship.
“It’s not loyalty at the individual consumer level. How do you get that household? Because that household is made up of different people who are all consumers. It’s almost gone from a funnel through the parents to a blast radius of everybody in that house who can go and purchase.”
‘Value’ Gains New Meaning
Economic sentiment tends to frame any retail trend analysis. But since 2020, consumer sentiment has been relatively low, while growth has remained high. This contradiction has shaped how we interpret consumer behavior. We’re stressed about money, but we consume to ease the pain.
Deloitte research put firm numbers behind the feeling: 57% of parents said they expect the economy to worsen over the year ahead, the highest level reported since 2020. As a result, parents are employing more “value-seeking behaviors,” with one-third using a combination of search, social media, and generative AI in their back-to-school shopping journey. Ironically, consumers who engage in more “value-seeking behaviors” end up spending about 14% more. This reaffirms that value doesn’t always equate to saving money.
“‘Value-seeking’ means you’re trying to get the most value for your dollar, and so we’re finding the more thoughtful and strategic a shopper is, the more it can actually be correlated with a higher spend,” said Brian McCarthy, Principal of Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution, and Consumer Products at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Those shoppers that are leaning heavily into AI tools to ask more questions feel really confident that they’re going to make a particular purchase decision.”
Both PwC and Deloitte were able to pinpoint how channel use—or what we call ‘omnimodal behaviors’—plays into actual purchase decisions. PwC found that parents’ in-store shopping fell from 79% in 2025 to 70% this year. However, digital behaviors picked up across online marketplaces (67%), branded eCommerce (49%), social media and influencer marketing (23%), and AI (23%).
73% of families will use AI while back-to-school shopping, whether it be to research brands, compare products, or plan their budgets.
- PwC
Savvy consumers are also more likely to alter their behavior to reflect what matters most to them in a given moment. “I may be brand loyal on a particular category, but I don't need to be retailer loyal for that brand,” McCarthy noted. “Footwear is a good example. There may be a pair of sneakers I like, maybe it’s the colorway or the style; and I may find it with a retailer I know and trust, but I can ask AI if there’s another retailer selling this exact same size, style, and colorway, but at a different price point. So I'm still brand loyal at that point, but I'm willing to change where I spend that dollar to get that pair of sneakers at a better price.”
This is another characteristic of our omnimodal reality, and it reaffirms the additional investment brands and retailers should make in showing up in AI channels appropriately, with both price and inventory accuracy.
Mapping the Alpha Influence
Like PwC’s research, Deloitte asked parents to quantify just how far they’ll go to make their kids’ next year a success. Nearly as many parents (59%) said their child’s preferences influenced them to spend more.
45% of parents say their child has a specific must-have item in mind, of which 57% say they will splurge on it.
“I see a little bit of a correlation between the income band that a parent is in, and what percent of them say their child influences them—and it tends to be that the higher the income band you are in, the more likely your child is able to influence you,” McCarthy said. “I think part of that may be that you have a little more budget available, so you can get a particular style or brand of sneakers that your child really wants. Or you don’t just get the backpack, but all the backpack accessories and bag charms.”
PwC gained additional context into Gen Alpha’s behaviors by conducting dedicated research for this cohort behind the back-to-school season, creating a much-needed closed loop between what parents say and feel about their kids and what their kids are actually doing while engaging with commerce. Pedersen shared some of the more notable digital behaviors that are giving Gen Alpha consumers the autonomy they need to make more informed purchase decisions:
- 72% of kids 7-14 own a smartphone. By age 13, 89% own a smartphone
- 3.6 hours a day are spent on screens, more than double the time spent outdoors and reading, per Pedersen
- 57% of second and third graders say social media drives purchasing decisions
- YouTube is the number one platform for this cohort
Kids and teens will always be influenced by their peers. These innate cultural triggers reaffirm or alter the trends they follow and ultimately, what they buy. YouTube creators add another layer of influence, conveying the lifestyles and value systems Gen Alpha wants to subscribe to. But McCarthy raised a point that tends to be overlooked in this age of hyper-connectivity: parents are still a strong influence, and that context will always be an underlying, largely silent factor.
“They’re going to be influenced by you as the parent,” McCarthy said. “But they’re also now going to be influenced by what they see through all their other sources of information... but I think also like their communities, their friends, and what’s deemed cool in distinct micro-communities.”
A Home of Omnimodal Contradictions
All households use an omnimodal mindset, with each consumer using different channels to meet different mental, emotional, and logistical needs. But the combination of channels that are not just used, but trusted, varies greatly by demographic and by individual. Every household has its own set of contradictions, and both Pedersen and McCarthy eagerly called them out:
The same household that embraces AI also rejects it.
Like Deloitte, PwC found that parents were using AI to find inspiration and deals. Conversely, Gen Alpha largely rejects AI and will flag any content that looks AI-generated. Brands can serve agents without losing their humanity or outsourcing the creative process to LLMs.
Media fragmentation has created diverged shopper journeys.
McCarthy shared a personal anecdote that perfectly encapsulates the media fragmentation living in so many modern households. “My kids use YouTube more than cable television, and my six-year-old daughter was baffled that the hotel TV was just telling us what we were supposed to watch. They’re probably being targeted with more specific content and advertisements, and they now are becoming interested in different brands than we may be familiar with because we’re engaging with media differently as adults.”
Influencers have an 'authenticity' limit.
Consumers’ reliance on social media has “created a whole economic model around influencers,” Pedersen said. “Yet as soon as [these influencers] become successful, people abandon them.” Niche creators build their smaller, yet more engaged followings due to their expertise and credibility. Their passion for a particular trend or lifestyle is carried through with gusto in their content, and that’s what makes them a draw, especially for younger consumers.
The Age of Autonomy in Action
This year’s back-to-school studies are a slow, steady build on last year’s trends. This time last year, we mapped how younger consumers were turning to creators and media platforms to further solidify the identities they were building in real-life social situations.
The distinct difference this year, though, is that young consumers are turning their influence into personal autonomy. Pedersen shared that some teens are now starting side hustles online—selling old trading cards and clothes on resale sites, for instance—and using digital payment options like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Cash to make online purchases. In fact, among kids under 14, 25% of them make their own online purchases, despite not having credit or debit cards.
For back-to-school shopping specifically, parents are giving their kids more power over the family cart: 40% said they would allow their kids to add items directly to their digital shopping carts, while 31% said their kids would have their own attached carts.
Brands can leverage this newfound autonomy by offering shared-cart capabilities, shared wish-list features, and even loyalty programs specifically for younger consumers. But these tactical capabilities are only as valuable as the ecosystems that brands build. Because a blast radius reverberates—and brands that design for the entire household will feel the long-term value.
Nearly half (48%) of parental spending in the US and UK is directly influenced by Gen Alpha. This is a data point uncovered by C-level advisory firm Teneo in a survey of 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014. But because the demographic includes children born through 2024, the data reflects a mere fraction of Gen Alpha’s commercial power, especially during major retail events such as the back-to-school season, which equally represent utility, value, and expression.
Seasonal data from PwC and Deloitte reaffirm the true nuances of what we buy and why. They tell a complex story of how we define value in our individual and family lives; they also suggest how we validate our spending habits based on the outcome, whether that’s driving household efficiency, conveying financial savviness, or showcasing personal taste and style.
Families expect to spend $922 on back-to-school, with 47% planning to spend more than last year, according to PwC. That budget is then spread across apparel and footwear ($278), technology ($222), equipment for after-school activities ($161), school supplies ($122), books and educational materials ($95), and other one-time school-year necessities ($44).
Kelly Pedersen, Global Retail Leader of PwC US, noted that this “bulk-buying moment” is actually the first domino to fall in a recurring series of purchases tied to the school year: “The family spends over $600 every single month on school, so this had us thinking one thing: you’ve got to target your household. You’ve got to find ways to get them in, because that $922 is going to perpetuate into another $7,000 throughout the year.”
Retailers may be able to use limited deals and sales to drive back-to-school conversions, especially when there’s an immediate, utilitarian need. But 58% of parents said their children’s preferences are influencing their back-to-school purchases, trumping school-provided lists (55%) and even sales, promotions, and discounts (54%). A household needs packs of pencils, dry-erase markers, and maybe even a few new outfits, but the individual wants the newest MacBook Pro and a pair of New Balance sneakers. As Pedersen explained, brands have more to gain when they create meaningful, omnimodal moments centered on individual and household value. That’s how you turn an acquisition event into the beginning of a long-term relationship.
“It’s not loyalty at the individual consumer level. How do you get that household? Because that household is made up of different people who are all consumers. It’s almost gone from a funnel through the parents to a blast radius of everybody in that house who can go and purchase.”
‘Value’ Gains New Meaning
Economic sentiment tends to frame any retail trend analysis. But since 2020, consumer sentiment has been relatively low, while growth has remained high. This contradiction has shaped how we interpret consumer behavior. We’re stressed about money, but we consume to ease the pain.
Deloitte research put firm numbers behind the feeling: 57% of parents said they expect the economy to worsen over the year ahead, the highest level reported since 2020. As a result, parents are employing more “value-seeking behaviors,” with one-third using a combination of search, social media, and generative AI in their back-to-school shopping journey. Ironically, consumers who engage in more “value-seeking behaviors” end up spending about 14% more. This reaffirms that value doesn’t always equate to saving money.
“‘Value-seeking’ means you’re trying to get the most value for your dollar, and so we’re finding the more thoughtful and strategic a shopper is, the more it can actually be correlated with a higher spend,” said Brian McCarthy, Principal of Retail, Wholesale, and Distribution, and Consumer Products at Deloitte Consulting LLP. “Those shoppers that are leaning heavily into AI tools to ask more questions feel really confident that they’re going to make a particular purchase decision.”
Both PwC and Deloitte were able to pinpoint how channel use—or what we call ‘omnimodal behaviors’—plays into actual purchase decisions. PwC found that parents’ in-store shopping fell from 79% in 2025 to 70% this year. However, digital behaviors picked up across online marketplaces (67%), branded eCommerce (49%), social media and influencer marketing (23%), and AI (23%).
73% of families will use AI while back-to-school shopping, whether it be to research brands, compare products, or plan their budgets.
- PwC
Savvy consumers are also more likely to alter their behavior to reflect what matters most to them in a given moment. “I may be brand loyal on a particular category, but I don't need to be retailer loyal for that brand,” McCarthy noted. “Footwear is a good example. There may be a pair of sneakers I like, maybe it’s the colorway or the style; and I may find it with a retailer I know and trust, but I can ask AI if there’s another retailer selling this exact same size, style, and colorway, but at a different price point. So I'm still brand loyal at that point, but I'm willing to change where I spend that dollar to get that pair of sneakers at a better price.”
This is another characteristic of our omnimodal reality, and it reaffirms the additional investment brands and retailers should make in showing up in AI channels appropriately, with both price and inventory accuracy.
Mapping the Alpha Influence
Like PwC’s research, Deloitte asked parents to quantify just how far they’ll go to make their kids’ next year a success. Nearly as many parents (59%) said their child’s preferences influenced them to spend more.
45% of parents say their child has a specific must-have item in mind, of which 57% say they will splurge on it.
“I see a little bit of a correlation between the income band that a parent is in, and what percent of them say their child influences them—and it tends to be that the higher the income band you are in, the more likely your child is able to influence you,” McCarthy said. “I think part of that may be that you have a little more budget available, so you can get a particular style or brand of sneakers that your child really wants. Or you don’t just get the backpack, but all the backpack accessories and bag charms.”
PwC gained additional context into Gen Alpha’s behaviors by conducting dedicated research for this cohort behind the back-to-school season, creating a much-needed closed loop between what parents say and feel about their kids and what their kids are actually doing while engaging with commerce. Pedersen shared some of the more notable digital behaviors that are giving Gen Alpha consumers the autonomy they need to make more informed purchase decisions:
- 72% of kids 7-14 own a smartphone. By age 13, 89% own a smartphone
- 3.6 hours a day are spent on screens, more than double the time spent outdoors and reading, per Pedersen
- 57% of second and third graders say social media drives purchasing decisions
- YouTube is the number one platform for this cohort
Kids and teens will always be influenced by their peers. These innate cultural triggers reaffirm or alter the trends they follow and ultimately, what they buy. YouTube creators add another layer of influence, conveying the lifestyles and value systems Gen Alpha wants to subscribe to. But McCarthy raised a point that tends to be overlooked in this age of hyper-connectivity: parents are still a strong influence, and that context will always be an underlying, largely silent factor.
“They’re going to be influenced by you as the parent,” McCarthy said. “But they’re also now going to be influenced by what they see through all their other sources of information... but I think also like their communities, their friends, and what’s deemed cool in distinct micro-communities.”
A Home of Omnimodal Contradictions
All households use an omnimodal mindset, with each consumer using different channels to meet different mental, emotional, and logistical needs. But the combination of channels that are not just used, but trusted, varies greatly by demographic and by individual. Every household has its own set of contradictions, and both Pedersen and McCarthy eagerly called them out:
The same household that embraces AI also rejects it.
Like Deloitte, PwC found that parents were using AI to find inspiration and deals. Conversely, Gen Alpha largely rejects AI and will flag any content that looks AI-generated. Brands can serve agents without losing their humanity or outsourcing the creative process to LLMs.
Media fragmentation has created diverged shopper journeys.
McCarthy shared a personal anecdote that perfectly encapsulates the media fragmentation living in so many modern households. “My kids use YouTube more than cable television, and my six-year-old daughter was baffled that the hotel TV was just telling us what we were supposed to watch. They’re probably being targeted with more specific content and advertisements, and they now are becoming interested in different brands than we may be familiar with because we’re engaging with media differently as adults.”
Influencers have an 'authenticity' limit.
Consumers’ reliance on social media has “created a whole economic model around influencers,” Pedersen said. “Yet as soon as [these influencers] become successful, people abandon them.” Niche creators build their smaller, yet more engaged followings due to their expertise and credibility. Their passion for a particular trend or lifestyle is carried through with gusto in their content, and that’s what makes them a draw, especially for younger consumers.
The Age of Autonomy in Action
This year’s back-to-school studies are a slow, steady build on last year’s trends. This time last year, we mapped how younger consumers were turning to creators and media platforms to further solidify the identities they were building in real-life social situations.
The distinct difference this year, though, is that young consumers are turning their influence into personal autonomy. Pedersen shared that some teens are now starting side hustles online—selling old trading cards and clothes on resale sites, for instance—and using digital payment options like Venmo, PayPal, and Apple Cash to make online purchases. In fact, among kids under 14, 25% of them make their own online purchases, despite not having credit or debit cards.
For back-to-school shopping specifically, parents are giving their kids more power over the family cart: 40% said they would allow their kids to add items directly to their digital shopping carts, while 31% said their kids would have their own attached carts.
Brands can leverage this newfound autonomy by offering shared-cart capabilities, shared wish-list features, and even loyalty programs specifically for younger consumers. But these tactical capabilities are only as valuable as the ecosystems that brands build. Because a blast radius reverberates—and brands that design for the entire household will feel the long-term value.
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