Back-to-school shopping hit its stride in August, and Shopify merchants felt it in the numbers. Label clip sales spiked 606% on the platform last month, according to Shopify data shared first with Retail Brew.

Graphic calculators followed at 56% growth, kids' desks rose 47%, desk calendars climbed 31%, and sticky notes gained 25%. The figures sharpen trends that emerged in July, when an eclectic mix of school supplies and fall wardrobe items already sold well as parents started stocking their kids' desks.

The drive to learn extended well beyond basic supplies. Educational toys posted some of the biggest gains of the month: planetariums rose 346%, math toys jumped 278%, and bug collecting kits climbed 102%.

Summer categories held their own as shoppers tried to squeeze value from the remaining warm weeks. Bicycle lights rose 123%, bicycle trainers 66%, and kids' bikes 53%. Late-season campers spent on tent awnings and annexes, up 392%, while emergency radios gained 185% and camping fire starters 180%.

Apparel pointed to the season ahead. Sweaters rose 84%, pea coats 76%, cardigans 75%, and school uniforms and knitwear 65%.

Some shoppers skipped fall entirely and planned for winter: thermal sock sales jumped 60% in August. For merchants, the August data signals that seasonal transitions now start earlier and stack on top of each other, with back-to-school, late-summer outdoor gear, and cold-weather apparel selling in the same month.