Target is sending shoppers back to classrooms early this year, kicking off its back-to-school deals ahead of previous years in an apparent bid to compete with Amazon’s Prime Day.
Starting Wednesday, the deals include 50 percent off its Target Circle 360 membership and several new brand collaborations, including LoveShackFancy, Overtime, Poppi, Owala and Hollister, along with expanded private-label offerings.
More than half of this year’s back-to-school assortment is new, featuring exclusive apparel, school supplies, dorm décor and newly added school uniforms under its All in Motion line. The early rollout of back-to-school deals, arriving a full month earlier than last year, is part of Target’s turnaround strategy under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.
Some of the biggest launches are being released in waves. A limited-time LoveShackFancy x Target collaboration arrives July 5, bringing the brand’s signature feminine prints to tweens and teens through apparel, accessories, beauty products and school supplies. Most items are priced under $25, with nothing exceeding $55.
Overtime is expanding its sports-inspired lineup with apparel, backpacks, lunch gear and water bottles starting June 14 online and in select stores before going nationwide July 5. Hollister is also entering the mix June 28 with apparel, accessories and, for the first time, home goods like bedding and dorm décor.
Meanwhile, Owala is teaming up with Cat & Jack for colorful school essentials launching July 5, and Poppi is adding a dorm-focused collection featuring robes, pillows, mini fridges and more, with prices starting around $20.
Alongside the collaborations, Target is leaning on its in-house brands to round out the full “back-to-school checklist.” All in Motion is expanding into school uniforms for the first time, with activewear-inspired basics starting at $15. Threshold is moving into dorm décor with elevated home pieces priced mostly under $50, while up&up is rolling out a pastel-themed school supply line with notebooks and folders starting as low as 69 cents.
Room Essentials is also updating its dorm assortment with colorful bedding, including sheet sets starting at $10 and comforters from $20. Cat & Jack is adding fresh prints and everyday kids’ apparel starting at $5, while Dealworthy continues to focus on ultra-budget basics like $5 backpacks, $3 lunch bags and $2 containers.
Cara Sylvester, Target’s chief merchandising officer, said in a statement that the assortment offers “more trend-forward style, great design and unrivaled value than ever before,” a strategy that could resonate with parents as well as the roughly one-third who say their kids increasingly want name-brand or trend-driven items, according to PwC research.
The timing also reflects shifting shopping habits as a new PwC study found most U.S. households now finish back-to-school shopping at least two weeks, and sometimes up to two months, before classes begin, with deal-hunting starting even earlier as consumers try to get ahead of the rush and score savings before summer ends.
