College Student Spending Report 2024

In the fast-paced world of academia, the consumer patterns of college students reveal a fascinating landscape of choices driven by necessity, aspiration, and technological trends. As the academic year unfolds, students transition from carefree summer days to a routine demanding needs ranging from school supplies to electronics, food, and clothing. 

This report explores the heart of these spending habits, examining where and how college students shop and exploring the performance of top brands. 

See how retail trends are shaping each year, month on month, in our Retail Pulse report. Our analysis uses data with the highest in market accuracy – 94% correlation to ground truth, over 15 data inputs, and a full 90 days of predictive feeds. 

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College student spending report findings

Understanding the consumer habits of college students offers significant insights into market trends and preferences that can shape business strategies.

Trends impact spending 

College students frequently seek affordable options, such as second-hand goods from Goodwill, trends greatly impact their spending choices particularly in clothing as shown by the increase of over 40% in foot traffic to UNIQLO in the past year. 

Discount retailers 

While shopping online remains a convienient option for college students looking for textbooks, stationary supplies from discount retailers are favored by college students seeking products in person at good prices. Five Below, a discount chain, has not suffered from a fall in foot traffic compared to speciality retailers selling stationary goods. The brand has in fact increased its foot traffic by 5% in the past year. 

Holiday sales remain the most important season for retailers. Most clothing brands and supermarkets in our report had their peak number of visitors in December 2021 since 2019. However, product launches and partnerships can outperform Christmas sales. 

Impact of holiday sales and product launches 

Product launches can however outperform holiday sales visits. Starbucks had its highest foot traffic since 2019 during its June 2022 merchandise drop which launched summer themed products. Adidas’s YEEZY product launch also meant the retailer had its peak sales during August 2023. For some retailers, correctly marketing and launching a new range of products may draw in more college students than Christmas sales. 

Key stats

  • UNIQLO sees a 49.91% increase in visits year-on-year from September 2023 
  • Office Depot sees a -32.71% decrease in visit year-on-year from September 2023 
  • Holiday sales remain the most important season for retailers, but product launches and partnerships can outperform Christmas sales. 
  • Brands are finding new ways to reach the student demographic, including partnerships with content creators and expanding in university areas. 
  • College students spend nearly $40 billion annually on food. [Source: Refuel Agency]
  • Average spending on course materials has decreased 41 percent since 2007. [Source: On Campus Research]
  • College students expect to spend $18.1 billion collectively on electronics for school, which is more than any other category. [Source: National Retail Federation] 
  • 58 percent of students bought at least one assigned textbook on Amazon. [Source: FlatWorld Knowledge]

At the heart of pass_by lies a commitment to data excellence. Our datasets are meticulously cleaned, validated, and privacy-compliant. With a focus on historical accuracy and predictive capabilities, we offer insights that are not just vast but also precise and actionable. Dive into a world where data meets retail innovation.

See how retail trends are shaping each year, month on month, in our Retail Pulse report. Our analysis uses data with the highest in market accuracy – 94% correlation to ground truth, over 15 data inputs, and a full 90 days of predictive feeds. 

Foot traffic performance of top brands

September 2023 vs September 2024

See how retail trends are shaping each year, month on month, in our Retail Pulse report. Our analysis uses data with the highest in market accuracy – 94% correlation to ground truth, over 15 data inputs, and a full 90 days of predictive feeds. 

Average spend of back-to-school college students

When students join or return to college, they need to buy supplies, furniture, school supplies and more. What are they buying, where do they shop, and how much are they spending? Let’s look at the data for answers! 

College students and their families are expected to spend an average of $1,364.75 on items for the upcoming school year, in line with last year’s record of $1,366.95.

Source: National Retail Federation

Electronics

According to the National Retail Federation, college students expect to spend $18.1 billion collectively on electronics for school, which is more than any other category. 

College students often order electronics online. When talking about electronics e-commerce, Amazon is king. According to the ECDB, Amazon holds the number one position of online electronics orders with sales of almost $49 billion in 2023. However, many college students are still shopping in-store or picking up their electronics in store and it shows in the numbers. 

Razer 

  • 40.09% market share 
  • -2.14% year on year decrease September 2023 to 2024 
  • Peak visits in December 2023, during Christmas sales and partnership deal with Vtuber Ironmouse.

Apple 

  • 35.4% Market share 
  • -8.3% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits in September 2022, when launching the iPhone 14.

Best buy 

  • 24.5% Market share 
  • -0.11% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits in December 2022, during Christmas sales and partnership with TalkShopLive to offer an in-store pickup option for holiday shoppers purchasing from the livestream commerce platform.

School Supplies

58% percent of students bought at least one assigned textbook on Amazon. There’s no doubt that e-commerce has taken the stage for students buying school supplies, but brick-and-mortar retail selling school essentials continues to draw in visitors in person.

Many specialty retailers, such as Office Depot, have seen a dramatic decrease in visitors year on year. While others, like discount store chain Five Below, have seen a jump in visits. Economic factors has played a large role in the rise and fall of school supply retailers in the past few years. 

Office Depot 

  • 5.83% Market share 
  • -32.71% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits in August 2021

Family dollar 

  • 46.66% market share 
  • -7.06% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2021

Five Below 

  • 42.5% market share
  • 5% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2023

Micheals 

  • 3.1% market share
  • -0.43% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits January 2024

Hobby Lobby

  • 1.82% market share
  • -2.5% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2022 

Food

Which grocery store is the best for students? What about delivery and coffee shops? Well, it depends! Depending on where the college is located and their living situation, students may get meals at college which reduces food shopping. 

More and more supermarkets are expanding their reach into the student demographic. One example of this is H-E-B. H-E-B has had it’s eyes on the college student demographic for some time. In 2023, the supermarket chain partnered with the University of Texas to provide same-day grocery delivery to college students and campus employees.  The partnership happened just months after H-E-B inked a grocery delivery partnership with Sam Houston State University in November.

Starbucks 

  • 46.17% market share
  • -5.09% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits June 2022, during the summer merch drop. 

Walmart

  • 23.10% market share 
  • -1.81% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2021

Lidl 

  • 5.21% market share 
  • 1.19% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits December 2021

Aldi

  • 21.41% market share 
  • -6.44% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits December 2021

Costco 

  • 4.11% market share 
  • -7.40% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits December 2022

Clothing

Out of all retailers in our report, UNIQLO had the largest rise in visits with a 49.91% year on year increase from September 2023. The Japanese retailer has now expanded its “sister brand” GU and opened its first store in New York to further capitalize on UNIQLO’s growing success. 

Some clothing retailers, like UNIQLO, are finding ways to break through and catch the attention of consumers. Others are struggling to maintain visit numbers in a volatile market. 

Old Navy 

  • 1.97% market share 
  • -2.74% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits December 2021.

Marshalls

  • 10.05%  market share 
  • -0.96% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2021.

TJ Maxx

  • 16.90% market share 
  • -22.73% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2021. 

American Eagle

  • 3.02% market share 
  • 5.32% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2021, during Christmas sales and acquiring Quiet Logistics at the end of the month. 

H&M

  • 5.6% market share 
  • 34.7% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024 
  • Peak visits July 2021 when announcing closure of 350 stores in established markets.

Zara 

  • 4.64% market share
  • 1.59% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2023 during ad controversy, Christmas sales helped the retailer pull through. 

Nike

  • 10.61% market share
  • -5.23% year on year decrease from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2023, during Christmas sales and new sneaker releases.

Adidas

  • 13.34% market share
  • 2.72% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits August 2023, during the YEEZY BOOST shoe release. 

Urban Outfitters 

UNIQLO

  • 4.34% market share
  • 49.91% year on year increase from September 2023 to September 2024
  • Peak visits December 2023, during Christmas sales and after going viral for its handbag. 

Goodwill

See how retail trends are shaping each year, month on month, in our Retail Pulse report. Our analysis uses data with the highest in market accuracy – 94% correlation to ground truth, over 15 data inputs, and a full 90 days of predictive feeds. 

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Kelsie Colclough
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