Schools Are Opening Worldwide—Another Blockbuster Track Has Emerged!

On September 1, primary and secondary schools across China welcomed the new 2026 fall semester.

🤔 Why September 1?

As early as 1912, September 1 was established as China’s unified school-start date, a decision made by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Before that, however, the fall start date in China had been shaped by certain historical factors. That year, the Nanjing Provisional Government, established after the Xinhai Revolution, announced the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. Following the calendar reform, the education authorities formally set September 1 as the school-start date for primary and secondary schools in the subsequently promulgated “Renzi-Guichou School System” (壬子癸丑学制). And so, the September 1 school-start date that has been in use ever since was officially confirmed.

September 1 is also Ukraine’s “Knowledge Day” (День знань), marking the official start of the new academic year at schools, colleges, and universities across the country. The day holds special significance for first-graders and university freshmen alike, marking the beginning of a new stage in their learning journey. It is more than just the first day of school—it is a nationwide holiday that connects people of all ages in celebrating knowledge, education, and the future.

Before 1935, school start dates varied from region to region. It was not until 1935 that it was officially decided that all schools nationwide would start on September 1. The name “Knowledge Day” and its status as an official holiday were formally established in 1984, during the Soviet era. After Ukraine gained independence, the Law on General Secondary Education was passed in 1999, cementing the holiday in legislation.

One distinctive feature of the day: many students wear the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt, the “vyshyvanka,” turning schoolyards into “living galleries” of traditional culture.

This year, Meest China has also prepared a special back-to-school greeting for our little first-graders.

🎁 Let’s step closer to Ukraine’s “Knowledge Day” and see what a day full of anticipation, pride, and warmth looks like!

On the E-commerce Front, Back-to-School Demand Keeps Growing!

The global Back-to-School season is the first confirmed consumption peak of H2 for cross-border e-commerce. In 2026, the global back-to-school market is estimated at USD 147.2 billion, projected to grow to USD 190.1 billion by 2032!

Ukraine’s “Back-to-School” sales season typically runs from late July to mid-September!

🎒 Bags & Backpacks: The Everlasting “Top Necessity” Backpacks are the most stable-selling and most in-demand core category of the back-to-school season. In Southeast Asian markets, GMV for the backpack category during peak season can reach 10–15× normal daily levels. This year’s trends are no longer simply “roomy enough to carry everything,” but point in three directions:

• Health-focused: Overseas parents are increasingly concerned about children’s spinal health, making ergonomic backpacks a hot item. Products featuring thickened pressure-relieving shoulder straps, breathable back panels, and lightweight materials are more popular.
• IP & Personalization: Students are increasingly driving purchase decisions, and licensed IP collaborations are a massive traffic magnet. For example, the “backpack + cabin suitcase + pencil case” three-piece set from Yiwu’s Teddy Ailan bear collaboration, as well as Chaomeng IP backpacks licensed with Disney, Sanrio, and others (the classic style weighs nearly 20% less than ordinary backpacks), are both bestsellers.
• Scenario-based: There is strong demand for multi-function laptop bags for college students, workwear-style backpacks, and backpacks with shockproof laptop compartments.

💻 3C Digital & Accessories: The Fastest-Growing Track 3C digital products are the fastest-growing category of the back-to-school season.

• Core devices: Laptops, tablets, graphics cards, and processors are back-to-school essentials. On platforms such as Rozetka and eMAG, consumer electronics is a core category, accounting for roughly 55% of market share!
• Core learning devices: As essentials for both online and offline learning, sales have grown steadily. Tablets and laptops saw steady sales growth on Rozetka, with month-over-month growth of 10% in August and year-over-year growth of over 15%!
• Smartphones: Always one of the most in-demand categories.
• Accessories & peripherals: Headphones, laptop stands, power banks, and other accessories see stable demand.

✏️ Stationery & Storage: The Stable “Ballast” and the High-Growth Dark Horse Stationery is the most stable source of back-to-school sales, accounting for up to 60%+ of total platform sales! According to official eMAG data, during the 2026 back-to-school season (first 20 days of August), school supply orders on its platform grew 41% year-over-year, with stationery performing particularly well.

• Traditional stationery: Pens, notebooks, and other student essentials are eternal necessities.
• Aesthetic & personalized: Influenced by social media, aesthetically pleasing stationery has become a trend. For example, glitter sticky notes can retail for up to USD 16.8 on TikTok.
• Storage & carrying: Dorm storage is a “micro-renovation” necessity for college students. Transparent PVC folding storage bags sold 21,700 units in just 14 days, while ultra-thin layered storage boxes for under the bed and desktop storage sets are also popular.

👗 Clothing & Footwear: The Back-to-School Fashion Wave Clothing is one of the highest-spend categories of the back-to-school season.

• Sportswear & women’s fashion: Fueled by factors such as the World Cup, jerseys and tracksuits are in high demand. On Rozetka, online sales of sportswear (спортивний одяг) and women’s dresses (жіночі сукні) grew especially rapidly in 2024!
• Comfort & trend: Loose sweatpants, printed hoodies, and other “viral items” remain popular.
• Specific occasions: Prom dresses hit their annual sales peak from July to October.

🍱 Other Popular Categories

• Lunch gear: Lunch bags and water bottles are “must-buy” back-to-school essentials, with stable demand and low return rates.
• Consumption scenario extension: Beyond core stationery, demand for study-space products is also growing, such as desks, desk chairs, and desk lamps.

Behind every bestseller is a student about to start a new semester. From “sunshine class placement” to “sunshine order allocation,” from textbooks to shopping carts—the back-to-school season has never been just an event for the education sector; it can also be a global e-commerce celebration. By aligning with platform preferences and logistics models, you can quickly seize the back-to-school market and achieve a double surge in both order volume and profit.

Today’s back-to-school season is no longer a simple contest of who sells cheaper pencils or sturdier backpacks. The truly interesting changes are taking place in the “old categories” we thought we knew all too well—when a piece of stationery or a backpack begins to tell a story and convey warmth, the boundaries of the market quietly expand.