July 30, 2019 – Footwear News – When a heat wave earlier this month brought almost 100-degree temperatures to New York City, retail traffic slowed at Tip Top Shoes on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. “The heat was definitely not conducive to selling,” said Margot Wasserman, manager of the independent retail store.

The hot weather all across the country has hit at a crucial time for the children’s market, when families were beginning to gear up for the new school year. In much of the South, such as in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, kids will head back to class during the first week of August.

A 2019 report from RetailMeNot found that most retailers (84%) believed that Amazon’s Prime Day on July 15 and 16 marked an important time for back-to-school shopping. Sales during the 48-hour period surpassed the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, according to the e-tail giant. That happened in part because the company extended the promotional event over two full days for the first time.

Read more at Footwear News.