Back-to-School Could Be The Biggest Untapped Moment in Retail.

Back-to-School Could Be The Biggest Untapped Moment in Retail.

We’re deep in kid-focused work across several categories right now, so I took a field trip to Target and Walmart with two of our strategy leads, Phillip and Kathleen to see how back-to-school is showing up at retail.

For parents, this season is more than a shopping trip. It’s a reset — an occasion that pulls families out of autopilot and into new routines.

That shift creates a rare window where:

-Old defaults no longer fit school-year needs

-Kids are asking for new things

-Parents are more open to trial and more forgiving in “test mode”

Some legacy brands are leaning into back-to-school with smarter pack forms — multipacks built for lunchboxes, limited-time collabs to drive excitement, and formats that flex for new routines.

But for the most part, the aisle still feels like business as usual. Standard merchandising. Minimal change.

That gap is the whitespace. A chance to meet parents during their brief moment of openness and build loyalty before routines lock back in.

How are you working with retail partners to seize the Back to School season?