# Back-to-School Category Mix: Stationery Leads

> Stationery and office supplies account for 82–83% of all back-to-school orders in Germany, while laptops and tablets represent fewer than 10% — consistent across both the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

**Period:** Jun 2025 – Aug 2026  
**Market:** DE  
**Data status:** final  
**Data as of:** 2026-08-24T06:02:55.074474+00:00  
**Sample size:** n = 8,277  
**Source:** [https://www.datapods.app/en/insights/consumption/online-shopping/back-to-school-category-mix-germany-2025-2026](https://www.datapods.app/en/insights/consumption/online-shopping/back-to-school-category-mix-germany-2025-2026)

## Segments

- **Years:** 2025–2026
- **Platform:** purchases
- **Product categories:** os, lb-1-12, lb-1-16, lb-15, el-6-6, el-6-8

## Summary

The near-identical category split across two seasons confirms that stationery is the workhorse of German back-to-school shopping online. Pencils, notebooks, folders, and similar everyday consumables dominate order volume because they are bought repeatedly, by a wide age range of students, and increasingly online rather than from specialist Schreibwarenläden.

## Schreibwaren as the reliable anchor — tech as the high-value tail

Though laptops and tablets represent fewer than 10% of back-to-school orders, their outsized basket value makes them disproportionately important for revenue. Context helps explain the volume gap: stationery is an annual, often multi-unit replenishment purchase — a single household might place three or four stationery orders across the season. A laptop, by contrast, is bought once every few years. Stationery prices in Germany rose roughly 26% between 2021 and 2025, according to regional statistical offices, which may have pushed budget-conscious parents toward online channels like Amazon where comparison shopping is easier.

## Chart

Grouped or stacked bar chart showing the percentage share of back-to-school orders by category — stationery and office supplies, school bags, and laptops and tablets — for two seasons: 2025 (June–September) and 2026 (June–August 10), among German online shoppers. Stationery accounts for approximately 82–83% in both years; school bags for roughly 8–9%; laptops and tablets for under 10%.

## Methodology

The chart shows the share of back-to-school orders by category — stationery and office supplies, school bags, and laptops and tablets — as a proportion of all back-to-school orders tracked among German online shoppers. Categories are derived from product taxonomy codes. The 2025 window covers early June to late September 2025 (approx. 4,995 back-to-school orders); the 2026 window covers early June to Aug 10, 2026 (approx. 3,282 orders). Clothing was excluded because no clean back-to-school taxonomy code could be applied.

## Citation

Datapods (2026-08-24). *Back-to-School Category Mix: Stationery Leads*. Datapods Insights. https://www.datapods.app/en/insights/consumption/online-shopping/back-to-school-category-mix-germany-2025-2026

## About Datapods

Datapods is a behavioral consumer-data platform. The Insights library publishes free, citable statistics derived from a panel of 25,000+ opted-in participants in Germany: observed real behavior (transactions, browsing, media), not surveys. All data is processed within the EU and is GDPR-compliant.

For brand-specific cuts, competitor benchmarks, and granular audience filters across 12,000+ tracked brands, see [https://www.datapods.app/en](https://www.datapods.app/en).