Key Summary:
- 84% of UK parents say kids co-decide or lead back-to-school purchases
- UK families to spend £337 on average – significantly higher than in 2024
- Digital discovery rising, but in-store shopping remains top channel in UK
Children and teens in the UK are no longer just influencing back-to-school (BTS) shopping - they’re in control of it. According to new research from youth marketing solutions provider SuperAwesome, 84 per cent of UK parents report that their kids either co-decide or take the lead on what goes into the shopping basket ahead of the new school year.
The UK figures are higher than in the US (81%), pointing to a generational shift in how families make purchase decisions across categories like school supplies, food, fashion, and tech.
The research, part of SuperAwesome’s BTS 2025: New Rules of Youth Influence, Spend & Discovery report, surveyed over 2,000 parents and children aged 4–18 across the UK, US, France, and Germany.
Spending up, but shopping starts sooner
The average UK family is expected to spend £337 on BTS shopping this year, a significant increase on f 76 per cent on 2024 figures, reflecting both rising costs and more targeted purchases.
In the UK and Germany, 85 per cent of parents begin BTS shopping at the start or during summer holidays, transforming the traditional “back-to-school rush” into a months-long shopping season.
A significant 61 per cent of parents in the UK report that BTS purchases are a joint decision between parent and child, and a further 23 per cent indicate that their child decides most of what is bought. Additionally, parents cite their children as the primary source for discovering new BTS brands and products.
While items like school shoes/uniform, stationery, and backpacks, remain key purchases, there is a notable surge in spending on fashion-forward and tech-related items, as well as beauty products, indicating that students are using back-to-school as an opportunity for self-expression.
Food choices are also being influenced by Gen Alpha and Gen Z: 71 per cent of UK parents focus on providing healthy breakfasts, even as children play a central role in choosing what ends up on the breakfast table.
Digital discovery grows, but in-store still leads
Despite the rise in online video and social media, 36 per cent of UK parents say in-store browsing remains the top way kids discover new products, more than any digital channel. However, digital discovery is rising fast, especially through platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where youth encounter product recommendations and peer reviews.
Commenting on the findings, Kate O’Loughlin, CEO of SuperAwesome, said: “Gen Alpha is the driving force behind back-to-school shopping. They’re picking their own snacks, choosing what to wear, and infusing their personality into everything in their backpack. Yet aligning to their interests and fandoms is more complicated than ever due to the fragmentation of content and choices Gen Alpha have. Activating on the underlying drivers of trends to successfully engage with kids and teens is critical in winning the cart size which is predicted to grow year-over-year.”
