Purchasing behavior for the back-to-school season in 2026 is becoming nuanced as parents think less about promotions and more about the need for the entire academic year — think multipurpose shoes that can move from one activity to another.

The good news for shoe retailers and brands is that as long as parents can find what they need, they will spend.

A PwC survey of 2,297 U.S. consumers found that 70 percent of families are planning for sports participation this school year, with outdoor sports — soccer, baseball and softball — representing the largest share of school-related activities. And even with higher prices, seven in 10 families plan to protect their children’s sports participation, even if that means certain trade-offs such as dining out less and preparing simpler weekday meals.

“Consumers are still spending, but they are increasingly doing so through prioritization rather than expansion; driven by purpose rather than promotions,” Kiara Berrett, global head of thought leadership at Circana, said. “Promotional activity remains important, but broad discounts alone are generating less incremental demand.”

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At Famous Footwear, the retailer on Aug. 20 began its Jordan Brand takeover that runs through Sept. 27. “Jordan continues to be a major back-to-school and everyday sneaker brand for the entire family, making this a timely moment for sneaker trends, family footwear, athleisure, fall refreshes and last-minute back-to-school shopping,” the retailer said. It is also touting the Birkenstock Amsterdam clog and low-profile Vans sneakers.

Famous Footwear shopping options includes sport slides and a selection of comfort, performance running styles that cross over into everyday wear. This year’s brand selections also include ballet-inspired trends from brands such as Dolce Vita and BCBG, as well as other low-profile sneaker styles that include the refreshed Adidas Barreda Mary Jane and Barreda Low Jewel. Also on the trends list for bts is the Y2K retro running silhouettes from New Balance and Nike, as well as technical running shoes that can move beyond workouts to everyday wear — think Adidas Adizero Pacer and Brooks Anthem. Meanwhile, early fall arrivals include boots from Timberland, Dr. Martens and Frye & Co.

“Back-to-school is a season of fresh starts, and we’re seeing students use footwear as a way to express their individuality and confidence,” said Laura Davis, executive vice president, Designer Brands, and president, retail. “At DSW, we’re focused on delivering the brands, trends and value families are looking for while inspiring the joy of discovery. That’s the spirit behind our ‘Let Us Surprise You’ platform: helping customers find something unexpected as they step into the new school year.”

DSW said that students and parents continue to “prioritize recognizable brands, comfort and versatility while looking for products that deliver value.” Thus far, consumers are gravitating toward versatile, wearable styles that work across a variety of school settings and activities. Key footwear trends that have emerged include court and low-profile sneakers, such as the Adidas VL Court; running-inspired footwear, such as the Adidas Adapt; and uniform outfitting styles, such as mary janes, lug silhouettes and classic boat shoes.

At Academy Sports + Outdoors, Matt McCabe, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said this year’s back-to-school and back-to-sport season saw customers continue to be deliberate about their spending.

The outdoor retailer’s participation in state tax-free events and through its MyAcademy Rewards loyalty and credit card program also gave consumers the ability to access deeper values that were available during their bts shopping trips. And while some families have started their bts shopping at the end of July when Academy announced early bts promotions, others are waiting to see what’s trending before making a purchase, McCabe noted.

“This year we had great back-to-school footwear options including the Nike Air Max, Nike V5 Runner, Brooks Ghost Max, Adidas Pacer, Birkenstocks, and New Balance styles. We also offered a fun assortment of athletic gear, such as cleats and recovery options, as well as fashion-forward styles,” McCabe said. “From a trend standpoint, we see shoppers looking for footwear that can be multipurpose.”

He explained that one might see parents wearing performance running shoes in their everyday lives, as they get their kids to school, practice, and everything in between, and then also wearing them to train for road races and marathons. “This can also translate to kids rocking their favorite footwear during the school day and hitting the trails or practice without needing to swap out their shoes,” McCabe said.

Brenda Felger, the owner of Felger’s Footwear in Houma, La., said she pulled some orders forward in order to meet shopping demand, noting that “consumer moods were positive” as “our sales increased 10 percent over last year for the same time period.” She added that the store has a “brisk school uniform shoe business” and that pricing held steady for 2026, although it did go up in 2025 due to tariffs and changes in sourcing.

“We did pick up Hoka kids, which carries a higher price point and it didn’t seem to be an issue. In fact, we didn’t have enough and had to do more reorders than usual,” Felger said, adding that Eastland Shoes and Hoka garnered the majority of sales thus far for bts. “We’ve been working with Eastland on styles, sizing and fit and it payed off, especially on the Classic Loafer, Solstice boat-looking style and the Falmouth camp moc in both sizes for kids and adults.”

And except for the school uniform styles, sneakers dominated the kids’ and college students’ preferences this year, with Hoka Bondi and New Balance’s lifestyle 327 and 574 taking the lead, she said.

Felger also said she noticed less promoting earlier in the season this year. “Vendors did not seem to be promoting during my bts season, which runs from July 1 to Aug. 10, but I have noticed some promotions starting now,” she said, adding that schools in Louisiana start the first week of August, versus after Labor Day for most of the rest of the U.S.

Kari Palmer, marketing director at Schuler Shoes, an independent shoe retailer operating 10 doors in Minnesota, said that inventory was “slightly increased” this year, which also included the addition of an “older kid” component to its style and merchandising option.

“Mom is still bringing the kids in. We give away sunglasses and everyone is loving it. Sales have been good,” Palmer said. “Grandparents also bringing in grandkids. Parents continue to find value in our fitting process. The experience is the thing.”

Palmer said the company is happy with this year’s inventory levels on what they carried because it meant that shoppers “can walk out with what they need.”

In addition, Palmer said “Saucony and Stride Rite are both up in pairs sold. Under Armour is having major shipping issues.”

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