2025 Back-to-School & Holiday Preview Webinar

It seems like the school year just wrapped up, but parents are already planning back-to-school shopping. Our research on the 2025 back-to-school retail outlook suggests retailers like Walmart and Target will likely see a delayed start to the season due to tariff uncertainty. Meanwhile, suppliers expect Amazon to make its biggest splash in the season yet thanks to its new 4-day Prime Day event in mid-July.

With the consumer environment remaining as unpredictable as ever, what actions can suppliers take today to succeed during the weeks and months ahead as back-to-school quickly turns into the holiday season?

Join CRC on Friday, July 11 at 12:00 pm ET as we host our annual Back-to-School & Holiday Preview Webinar.

During this live session, Ben Metzger, Executive Director of CRC’s Traditional Retail Council, will unpack the most important recent macro and consumer trends, latest back-to-school forecasts, early holiday projections, and key focus areas for suppliers.

Some questions we plan to answer include:

• How is the macro environment impacting retail demand?
• What strategies are retailers adopting for back-to-school and holiday shopping?
• Who are the expected winners and losers for the coming months?
• What adjustments should suppliers consider making in this uncertain environment?
• What are early expectations for 2026?

Our goal is to help suppliers navigate the near-term and win over the medium-term with actionable strategies and data-driven insights.

Registration includes the full slide deck and audio replay we’ll send out after the call.

About the Presenter

Ben Metzger

Executive Director, Traditional Retail

Cleveland Research Company

Ben is the Executive Director of Cleveland Research Company’s Traditional Retail Council, leading our food and broadline retail forecast discussion. He is focused on gathering insights, identifying inflections and providing actionable conclusions for suppliers across the mass, club, grocery, and dollar channels.

Ben holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Finance and Economics and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Miami University.