American Eagle Outfitters is partnering with Snapchat to attract more Gen Z shoppers as the 2025 back-to-school season arrives, blending augmented reality (AR) and location-based advertising in its latest push.
The retailer’s campaign, announced in a July 9 blog post from Snap Inc., features more than 800 American Eagle stores as Promoted Places on Snapchat’s Snap Map. The ad format allows users to tap branded pins to discover nearby store locations, browse creator content, as well as shop directly on ae.com. A new AR try-on Lens, expected to roll out later this summer, will also let users virtually try on American Eagle jeans from within the app.
American Eagle, based in Pittsburgh, is No. 37 in Digital Commerce 360’s Top 2000. The database ranks North America’s leading online retailers by annual web sales.
How American Eagle is using Snapchat for back-to-school promotions
“With Promoted Places, we’re thrilled to help brands like American Eagle show up in both everyday moments and major events like back-to-school shopping and turn local discovery into real-world visits,” said Crystal Alexander, senior manager and client partner at Snap Inc., in the post.
The effort reflects a broader trend. While Gen Z is widely considered a digital-first generation, many are still showing up to shop in person. According to Q2 2025 GWI Moments data shared by Snap, 95% of U.S. Snapchat users plan to shop in stores for back-to-school this year.
It also comes as early indicators point to solid seasonal spending. A 2025 survey from PwC found that nearly three in four shoppers expect to spend the same or more than they did last year, despite continued inflation and tariff-related cost pressures. And many aren’t waiting to get started. According to the National Retail Federation, 26% of back-to-school shoppers had already begun buying by early June, up from 22% a year ago. NRF attributes the early activity in part to shoppers looking to stay ahead of potential price hikes tied to tariffs.
Snap Map’s role in in-store discovery
Snap Map is one of Snapchat’s most popular features, with more than 40 billion opens in Q1 2025, according to Snap. The platform lets users share their location, see where friends are, and view local Snaps from creators and the larger community.
The Promoted Places ad format, introduced in October, allows brands to sponsor physical store locations with clickable pins that link to branded content, directions, and ecommerce pages.
“For retail brands, this offers a unique way to reach the 400 million Snapchatters who use Snap Map monthly, build brand loyalty, and drive real-world foot traffic,” Snap said in the blog post.
American Eagle is the first specialty fashion retailer to adopt the format.
Alongside Promoted Places, American Eagle plans to debut a new “Jeans Try-on Haul” AR Lens later this summer. The feature will be available via Snapchat’s Lens Carousel and on American Eagle’s public profile, allowing users to browse denim styles and virtually try them on within the app.
The AR push builds on American Eagle’s broader strategy to blend mobile engagement with physical retail. The brand first embraced Snapchat’s AR tools during the pandemic, when in-store traffic dipped. Since then, it has launched dozens of AR experiences it designed to drive digital interaction, according to the company.
Gen Z wants real-world shopping — and they’re ready to spend
American Eagle’s hybrid approach reflects broader shopping trends among Gen Z. While digital channels remain key, many younger consumers still favor in-person experiences, especially when it comes to product discovery and trying items on.
According to PwC’s 2025 Back-to-School Survey, Gen Z parents are more likely than Millennials or Gen X to shop exclusively in stores. PwC described the trend as part of a “brick-and-mortar renaissance,” driven by tactile experiences and deeper brand interaction.
The survey found that 27% of Gen Z parents say they shop exclusively in stores, compared with 14% of Millennials and just 8% of households earning over $75,000. In contrast, Millennial (71%) and Gen X (73%) parents tend to prefer online options. Meanwhile, Boomers (30%) and Gen Z (27%) lead when it comes to in-store-only preferences.
Income also plays a role. Lower-income households are nearly twice as likely to shop only in stores, while higher-income families are more likely to stick with ecommerce, PwC found.
Clothing remains a key category, but it’s also one area where parents are most likely to pull back. Nearly 30% of families expect to spend $251-$500 on back-to-school apparel, while another 27% will spend between $101-$250. Among those cutting costs, apparel and tech are the top categories being scaled down, PwC found.
To make their budgets stretch further, many families are prioritizing discounts, shopping earlier, and reusing items.
“Of those parents planning to spend less on back-to-school shopping, the majority aren’t yet tightening their everyday spending or planning to reduce what they spend during the holiday season,” PwC’s authors wrote in the report.
Shoppers start early — and worry prices could rise
More families are also shopping earlier for back-to-school — a behavior that’s become more common since the pandemic, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2025 back-to-school report.
This year, 26% of back-to-school and college shoppers had already started shopping by early June, up from 22% in 2024 and 17% in 2019. But rising costs are driving new urgency. Among those early shoppers, 74% said they started sooner this year due to concerns that tariffs could push prices higher later in the season, NRF found.
Back-to-school remains a big-ticket season. In 2024, K-12 shoppers budgeted $875, while college shoppers expected to spend $1,365. This year, 76% of families expect prices to climb even higher, NRF said.
After years of adjusting to inflation, many households have already cut where they can, from switching brands to buying fewer items. But NRF notes that many of those cost-saving strategies are tapped out.
“Shoppers, including higher-income groups, are more likely to turn to discount stores this year if back-to-school items are more expensive,” the organization said.
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