Back-to-school spending is expected to be roughly in line with 2017 this year, with consumers continuing to favor mass merchants and discounters while migrating more purchases to online, according to surveys conducted by the National Retail Federation and Deloitte. Despite the robust economy and low unemployment rate, families will spend an average of $685 on the season this year compared to $688 the year before. The Deloitte study said the mean average spend per family would be $510 compared to $501 prior.

The good news for apparel and footwear merchants, according to the NRF, ... Log in to view full article.