This story is part of WTOP鈥檚 2026聽Back to School coverage.
Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. And it鈥檚 now leaving its mark on back-to-school shopping.
Shoppers are spending 15% more this year than last year, totaling $147 billion.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge number,鈥� said Mark Mathews, Chief Economist at the National Retail Federation.
Spending for K through 12 students is expected to hit $43 billion this year, and spending on college students will surpass $100 billion for the first time. Back-to-college spending will come close to $104 billion.
Artificial intelligence sits at the center of all this spending, playing a larger role as shoppers look for deals.
The NRF found 26% of consumers are turning to AI for recommendations while another 26% are deploying AI to look for discounts and deals.
鈥淭his year, it really seems to be taking off,” Mathews said. “When we ask consumers, are they using AI? Three out of five said yes. So it is more of a thing that’s going on. And when you ask them how they’re using it, they’re actually using it to help them shop, to find cheaper prices, to search out sales, and that seems to be a successful way that they’re interacting with AI right now.鈥�
He says consumers are also turning ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot into shopping assistants especially as they send kids off to college for the first time.
“So what do they need? Where should I buy it? What are the best prices? So there鈥檚 a lot of assistance in that type of area,” he said.
Mathews also thinks AI is influencing how college students are spending money.
“I have a son who’s going back to college, and everybody’s talking about AI, and what the impact is going to be on the job market, but also your ability to utilize AI to your fullest, and in some cases, that takes higher powered laptops,” he said. “You have AI-enabled laptops these days, so yeah, it is changing the way that consumers are shopping around.”
His words of advice for consumers looking to save a buck or two? Look for sales and promotions.
“Do your research. Use those AI tools because you are going to be able to go out there and find better prices if you shop around,” he said.
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