Optimove Insights' 2025 Back-to-School Report: Parents Need Empathy as Tariffs Drive Economic Uncertainty
Tariffs and rising prices are challenging brand loyalty, making empathy and timely, context-aware communication vital for marketers
New York, July 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rising prices and tariffs are putting financial pressure on parents ahead of the back-to-school shopping season, according to a new survey released today by Optimove Insights. Results revealed that 81% of respondents are at least somewhat concerned about the impact of tariffs. At the same time, only 22% feel that brands are genuinely trying to build relationships with them. These findings reveal a growing mismatch between families’ expectations and what brands are offering, creating an opportunity for more human, context-aware engagement.
The survey, conducted by Optimove Insights, the research arm of Optimove, included 401 U.S. parents or guardians of K–12 students with annual household incomes above $75,000, and was fielded in June and July 2025. Optimove is the creator of Positionless Marketing.
Key Findings from the Report Include:
- 81% of parents are at least somewhat concerned about the impact of tariffs, and 79% are concerned about inflation
- 46% cite budget constraints as their top back-to-school concern
- 80% prioritize quality over price, but 71% still say price strongly influences their decisions
- 78% say discounts and promotions could influence their brand loyalty, despite 87% being likely to repurchase from the same brands
- Only 22% feel that brands are trying to build relationships with them, while 60% believe brands are just trying to close a sale
- 67% value timely and relevant messages, but 85% unsubscribe when overwhelmed
According to Rony Vexelman, VP of Marketing at Optimove, “This economic strain is changing how parents respond to the way brands communicate with customers. Those brands that communicate in real time with empathy and personalization to deliver real value will be favored by consumers.”
Vexelman added that marketing teams that are Positionless will have a keen ear for consumers' needs and win loyalty to drive customer lifetime value.
Recommendations for Marketers
Optimove recommends five key strategies for brands looking to support families during a financially sensitive back-to-school season:
- Lead with Empathy: Reflect an understanding of economic stress in your messaging. Acknowledge concerns like inflation and tariffs, and adopt a tone that feels supportive, not pushy.
- Emphasize Value: Highlight cost-saving opportunities through bundles, loyalty programs, and promotions that offer long-term benefits.
- Support Budget Flexibility: Offer options like buy-now-pay-later, layaway, or installment plans to help families manage seasonal spending more easily.
- Balance Personalization and Respect: Use data to deliver relevant, timely messaging, but avoid overloading consumers. With 85% unsubscribing due to marketing fatigue, frequency and tone must be carefully managed.
- Act with Agility: Empower marketing teams with the right tools to respond in real time to changing needs. Quick adaptation to pricing shifts, promotions, and inventory updates builds trust and drives relevance.
Positionless Marketing Enables Empathetic, Real-Time Engagement
The report highlights that parents are more responsive to brands that act with empathy, timing, and clarity. To deliver these expectations at scale, marketers need to move quickly and independently, but traditional siloed structures often slow them down or get in the way.
Positionless Marketing gives marketers the autonomy to act in real time across data, content, and channels, making it possible to deliver helpful, context-aware communication during economically sensitive moments like this year’s back-to-school season.
The full report is available here.
About Optimove
Optimove, the leader in Positionless Marketing, frees marketing teams from the limitations of fixed roles, giving every marketer the power to execute any marketing task instantly and independently. Positionless Marketing has been proven to improve campaign efficiency by 88%, allowing marketing teams to create more personalized engagement with existing customers.
Optimove is recognized as the Visionary Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs. It was the first CRM Marketing Platform to natively embed AI with the ability to predict customer migrations between lifecycle stages in 2012.
Today, its comprehensive AI-powered suite is at the leading edge of empowering marketers to optimize workflows from insight to creation and through orchestration. Optimove provides industry-specific and use-case solutions for leading consumer brands globally.
For more information, visit Optimove.com.
About Optimove Insights
Optimove Insights is the research and analysis arm of Optimove, dedicated to uncovering emerging trends and helping B2C brands respond with data-driven, customer-led strategies.
Attachment
Olivia Arruda Optimove +18585881053 olivia_a@optimove.com Rob Wyse Optimove +12129201740 rob_w@optimove.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
