This time of year is typically filled with much anticipation for the start of a new school session, where purchasing the perfect pencil pouch, backpack, and lunchbox combo is at the top of every parent's to-do list. In the middle of a pandemic however, back-to-school shopping data from Etsy suggests that 2020 has shifted parents' shopping habits.
Whether your child will be learning virtually from home, attending face-to-face instruction, or a hybrid of the two will of course make a major difference when it's time to shop for the coming school year. With the inclusion of new health and safety regulations at schools where students will return in-person, many parents are now tasked with finding the perfect face mask for their kids. Etsy's data found that "face mask" was consistently the top search for their users over the past three months.
On the flip side of that conundrum, parents with kids who will be learning strictly from home are consistently looking for ways to make the entire process a bit easier. Searches for homeschool planners have increased 216% from this same time last year, according to Etsy, while searches for desks and desk accessories is up 131%.
The list below features a just a small sampling of the items that shoppers for students of all kind can find trending on Etsy during this unprecedented back-to-school season.
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