Join the businesses who have begun to edge out competitors by scouring the web for alternative data.

Back-to-school season is upon us, which means students and their parents are shopping for the first day of classes.

Many flock to Walmart ($WMT), the nation's largest retail chain with over 4,200 Walmart and Walmart Superstores nationwide. To see what they're buying, we dug into our Walmart product-ranking database that tracks hundreds of thousands of products to gain an understanding of what back-to-school items are hot this year.

What we found was initially unsurprising: notebooks, pens, paper, and glue dominated the ranks as we approach the fall semester. But one item stuck out: a VR helmet.

Item Rank Case-It Open Tab 2-Inch Binder, Assorted Colors 1 HP Multipurpose Paper, 8.5 x 11 In 500 sheets 2 Case it The Mighty Zip Tab 3-Ring Zipper Binder 3 Georgia-Pacific Standard Multipurpose Paper 5,000 Sheets 4 Mead Primary Journal, Half Page Ruled, Grades K-2, 100 Sheets 5 Elmer's Washable School Glue Stick 6 Elmer's Washable School Glue, Gallon 7 Mead Filler Paper, 15lb, College Rule 200 Sheets 8 Five Star Reinforced Filler Paper, College Ruled, 100 Sheets 9 Mead 1-Subject College Ruled Spiral Notebook 10 Dust-Off DPSXL3 Disposable Dusters 11 Hammermill Copy Paper Poly Wrap 12 Aurora 6-Sheet Strip-Cut Paper/Credit Card Shredder without Wastebasket 13 Five Star 5-Subject College Ruled Spiral Notebook 14 Koramzi VR Headset - Black 15 BIC Round Stic Xtra Life Ball Pen, Medium, 60 pack 16 Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, Letter Size 17 Un-Du Adhesive Remover 18 Westcott Kids Scissors, 5" Pointed, Assorted Colors 19 Elmers Washable School Glue Sticks, All Purpose, 30 20 Hammermill Copy Paper, 5000 sheets 21 Avery Economy View Binder with 1-1/2" 22 Avery Economy Round Ring View Binder 23 Cobra 16-Mile 2-Way Radios Walkie Talkies, 2-Pack 24 Georgia Pacific Basic Copy Paper, 1500 Sheets 25 As of today, the most-popular school supply item are classic 2-inch ring binders. Paper-based products, especially journals and notebooks, filled out the majority of the list. The classic Bic ballpoint pen made the list within the top-20 best sold items, but appears below the $16.95 Koramzi VR Headset — not your typical back-to-school purchase. Whether this VR headset is being used for education or not, such a notion isn't too farfetched: American classrooms are beginning to experement with virtual reality as a way to engage students technology, including curricula for students with special needs. Filtering the results to remove the more obvious back-to-school items like stationery and reams of paper, good old ring binders and Elmer's School Glue jump to the top of our best-selling list. Item Rank Case-It Open Tab 2-Inch Binder, Assorted Colors 1 Case it The Mighty Zip Tab 3-Ring Zipper Binder D-156-B 3 Elmer's Washable School Glue Stick - Purple 6 Elmer's Washable School Glue, Gallon 7 Dust-Off DPSXL3 Disposable Dusters (3 pk) 11 Koramzi VR Headset - Black 15 BIC Round Stic Xtra Life Ball Pen, Medium Point (1.0mm), Black, 60 Count 16 Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, Letter Size, 17 Un-Du Adhesive Remover 4oz 18 Westcott Kids Scissors, 5" Pointed, Assorted Colors 19 Elmer's Washable School Glue Sticks, All Purpose, 30/Pack 20 Avery Economy View Binder with 1-1/2" Round Ring 22 Avery Economy Round Ring View Binder White 23 Cobra 16-Mile 2-Way Radios Walkie Talkies 24

According to Deloitte, "Back to School season" is the second-largest shopping season of the year. Parents and students are expected to spend $27.6 billion this year as they gear up for classes. Its survey also found that many people actually begin their back to school shopping before August, but retailers target promotions for the late August rush when up to $18 billion will be spent.