The Fall Reset: Exploring Shopper Mindsets During Back-to-School Season
Consumers may be counting down the last days of school and looking ahead to summer plans, but soon enough they’ll be searching for the products they need to head back to classrooms and regular routines. For most, that means new product trial and discovery, according to a recent survey conducted by Chicory.
The contextual advertising platform’s "2026 Fall Consumer Capture Survey" revealed that the back-to-school season brings behavioral resets for consumers on par with other pivotal times of the year, leading to shifts in consumer mindsets that reshape grocery decisions and possibly brand loyalty.
The data showed that the return to fall routines brings a surge in meal planning, a spike in brand trial, and consumers whose purchase decisions are being shaped well before the first day of school, suggesting that brands that gain omnichannel visibility have a higher likelihood of earning a place in shoppers’ baskets.
“Fall restructures daily life in a way no other season does,” Katherine Meyer, Chicory product marketing manager, said in a blog. “School calendars, commute patterns, sports seasons and work schedules all snap back at once.”
According to the survey, 61% of consumers say their daily routine becomes more structured as fall begins, and 41% say back-to-school influences their grocery trips.
That’s good news for brands, since shoppers switch into planning mode, with 73% planning meals at least a few days ahead, and 35% planning a week or more out. Consumers head into the new school year making lists and browsing recipes as part of another new routine.
The study also found that 72% of parents and caregivers say they are more likely to try a new brand during back-to-school shopping, with nearly half describing themselves as much more likely — and that goes for anything that can go in a lunchbox or be part of easy weeknight meals. Nutrition, price and clean ingredients are the new baseline for parents when it comes to packing their kids’ lunchboxes.
Grocery promotions are the top reason consumers will try a new brand, followed by meal and list inspiration (43%) and online recommendations (42%). These outrank word-of-mouth, social media and new product launches, the study found.
Shoppers also use online food and cooking content as a core part of their planning and decision-making process, with 54% citing online food and cooking content as a top source of meal inspiration. Notably, 76% of consumers say they have made an unplanned purchase after discovering a food or beverage item online, suggesting that brands have a good chance of winning more shoppers through creative, off-shelf efforts this fall.
Rising grocery costs are also coming into play this year, making shoppers more intentional, the study says. More than a third intend to plan meals more carefully (37%) while relying on sales, coupons or promotions (36%).
Chicory surveyed more than 1,000 shoppers for this study.
