Dive Summary:

• Retail revenues from back-to-school sales are expected to rise 4.3% in August 2013 compared to the same month in 2012, according to statistics released by Shoppertrak.
• "Back-to-school shopping is the first major 'shopping season' of the calendar year, and has the potential to set the tone for the holidays," says ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin.
• The estimated increase in sales revenues could be a reflection of the ‘slow but steady’ improvement of the U.S. economy. "On the whole, more people feel better about their financial situation than they did last year in August," said Martin.

From the article:

Likewise, while this year's retail foot traffic increase may seem incremental, it continues the positive trend. In 2012, foot traffic turned around and increased a substantial 11 percent, compared to the back-to-school traffic in 2011. That year, foot traffic declined 5.1 percent from 2010.