YouTube is the digital hallway for back-to-school trends — here’s how brands can join

Back-to-school trends used to spread by word of mouth — in school hallways among friends. They still do, but the biggest conversations are now happening on YouTube.

The scale of this digital hallway is hard to overstate: In the past year, people watched 1.6B hours of college move-in videos¹ and racked up 800M views on content titled with college or back-to-school hauls.²

And these viewers are coming with intent: 62% of surveyed college students and 63% of surveyed parents who use YouTube for back-to-school shopping look to YouTube during the critical research and consideration phase.³ And 73% of surveyed parents who used YouTube for back-to-school shopping reported feeling highly confident in what they bought.⁴

They’re taking cues from YouTube creators they trust on what to wear, how to deck out their dorms, and which tech they can rely on for years to come.

Here’s a look at the back-to-school trends shaping this season, the creators driving them, and how brands can be part of the decisions being made on YouTube.

Creating ‘the look’ with fashion and beauty that holds up under pressure

For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, a new school year is a reset button, and “getting ready” content is an essential part of how they’re planning to make it their moment. Before the first bell, students are watching creators pressure-test the season’s trends in real time. Kennedy Rae’s 10-minute school beauty routines are practically their own genre, giving audiences a master class in looking put-together even after hitting snooze one too many times.

On the fashion side, YouTube creators like EJWAYY are giving step-by-step guidance to rebuilding a wardrobe on a budget, and “fashion BFF” Lean Ortiz shows how to style around school dress codes.

Coming from a creator who audiences have been watching for years, these beauty routines, product roundups and get-ready-with-me videos feel like hearing from a friend who happens to be an expert on what holds up — which is exactly why creators are driving decisions.

Making ‘the space’ with dorm hauls, makeovers and everything in the backpack

Emotions run high during back-to-school, especially for college freshmen who are leaving home. Students build out a whole setup in just a few weeks: the room and everything they bring into it. That’s a lot of decisions in a short window. They turn to creators to figure out what to buy and how to pull it all together. Sarah Crist turns dorm hauls into shopping diaries and Caroline Winkler’s blunt “here’s why your room feels off” makeovers rack up views precisely because they’re authentic.

It’s prime territory for brands to showcase in-demand products that match what’s top of mind, like modular, space-saving storage and plush bedding that makes a bare dorm feel like home. Once they’re settled into their spaces, YouTube is also the ultimate hub for students’ daily routines. And it’s where your products can become an organic part of that life — with “thrift with me,” “what’s in my backpack,” or “stationery unboxing” creator-led videos.

Picking ‘the tools’ with tech-buying guides, spec deep-dives and what’s built to last

Tech products are often the season’s biggest and most scrutinized purchase. Laptops and tablets need to last year after year, so students do their homework before they buy — and that homework is happening on YouTube.

They come to YouTube creators for annual buying guides, budget “best-of” roundups, and deep-dive explainers from reviewers like Jenna Ezarik, who blends tech and lifestyle, and Karl Conrad, who gets into the specs.

The gear that keeps trending is practical: noise-cancelling headphones for finding focus in chaos, student-friendly tablets and budget laptops that balance price and performance. Brands can partner with creators directly, or use the YouTube Shopping affiliate program to curate a network of tech reviewers who tag your products in their videos, so students can buy the model they just watched without leaving their feed.

Back-to-school is in session with YouTube creators

The back-to-school shopping season is already underway, but the biggest surge in viewership is still to come. Brands briefing YouTube creators now can still build for the August peak and keep working through September move-ins and classroom routines. To help you make the most of this moment, we’ve created a playbook to help marketers build effective creator partnerships. Brands that are winning with creator partnerships are prioritizing these four approaches:

• Finding the right YouTube creators. Leverage rich data and AI-powered tools to eliminate manual research and find the perfect YouTube creators for your brand.
• Building a strategic roster. Map different types of creators to distinct business objectives: macro creators scale broad brand equity; mid-tier experts explain utility; and micro creators drive direct action.
• Building multiformat campaigns. Scale production efficiently by getting the right mix of content from creators and by deploying a split of creator and brand assets.
• Optimizing production for impact. See how to guide scripting, filming, and editing to leverage the unmatched ability of YouTube creators to turn views into value.