Whether pencils, paper or pencil case – school needs have an unspectacular effect, but is one of the highest sales groups in retail. One current study According to 2024 alone, the global market volume of the back-to-school (BTS) season is estimated at around $ 172 billion-tendency increasing to over $ 230 billion until 2030.
However, the industry has a special feature: there is only a short time window to deliver the products for school needs. Manufacturers, logistics and trade must recognize trends months in advance and thus carry out the planning for the products to be purchased. In addition to the social media trends, compliance with ESG requirements, the new customs tariffs are particularly difficult for the upcoming BTS season.
When pencils set trends
Social media changes the point of sale, increasingly more and more real time. The global social commerce market is growing according to the current Study of Researchandmarkets by 2025 at over 920 billion USD. For the planning, this means that the forecasts have to become faster, more flexible and more data -driven.
This means that classic sales planning reaches its limits. Companies are increasingly relying on predictive AI tools with which they can better predict customer behavior and needs. And with AI-based planning models And real-time data can be anticipated before the favorite pencil is sold out.
Sustainability pays off – even with school issues
Sustainability has long been more than a buzzword. Regulators, investors and consumers demand measurable ESG services: transparent and consistent. Loud National Retail Federation (NRF) prefer 71 percent of the US students surveyed in 2024 environmentally friendly back-to-school products.
But fragmented ESG guidelines in different countries make reporting increasingly complex for companies. Artificial intelligence Creates clarity here: it helps to structure data, recognize risks early and to efficiently map compliance. Sustainability not only can be fulfilled, but scalable.
Customs change the shopping timing and not just prices
Despite uncertainties in trade policy and inflation pressure, the expenditure for school starts loud Current PWC survey Stable, some of them even rise. However, decision -making processes are shifted under the surface: customs policy acts like a tactical intervention in the buying behavior.
Loud National Retail Federation 74 percent of consumers preferred their shopping for the 2025 back-to-school season and that out of care for higher prices through new tariffs. Customers acts data driven: prices are observed in real time, bargains are targeted to appointments such as the Amazon Prime Days.
Time becomes a strategic variable
Customs not only change what ends up in the shopping cart, but also when. This creates a logistical area of tension for trading companies: If you order too late, you risk bottlenecks and who is stored too early, you may pay.
This dilemma is well aware of Manos Raptopoulos, Chief Revenue Officer APAC/EMEA/MEE at SAP. He believes that the current macroeconomic environment and trade conflicts reinforce the volatility of the global supply chains.
“A proactive risk assessment and the management of disruptions in the event of arguments are crucial to protect a competitive advantage,” said Raptopoulos. “With the help of predictive analysis and the automation of processes, business-AI companies can support companies to monitor complex supply chains efficiently and in real time.
In order to most of these challenges, companies like dealers can use the following: forward -looking procurement,, AI-supported scenario analyzes & planning And build a supply chain that can react quickly when the customs lever is flipped. Anyone who plans cleverly has the schoolyard and the parents’ shopping cart with them.
Would you like to learn more about how AI-controlled supply chains are geared towards meeting today’s requirements and preparing for the future? Read this IDC analyst report: “Ai-Powered Business Suite for Supply Chain ”
