Marketers hoping for a more straightforward back-to-school season in 2021 could feel creeping dread as health experts and financial analysts sound the alarm on the COVID-19 delta variant and reinstatement of public health measures, including indoor mask mandates in several major U.S. cities. Lingering uncertainties are coupled with the continued shift to online sales channels that legacy retailers and packaged goods brands have scrambled to keep pace with over the past year.
