School girl standing with backpack and headphone

A recent school survey by Deloitte suggests that back-to-school shopping will reach 27.8 billion in 2019. The spending on electronics will increase to 800 million which is a 29 percent increase in what was spent last summer. The amount will be used on mobile data plans and electronic gadgets with most households averaging 519 dollars.

Shoppers will spend $305 on these products which is a 13% increase compared to the previous year. This increase reflects the number of individuals who are undecided between in-store and online shopping. According to Rod Sides from Deloitte, young students are increasingly using electronic gadgets because computing power has got much better. And as more work gets stored on the cloud, modern gadgets will help children in grades and improve their cognitive skills. Parents should ensure the children don’t violate the terms of service when using the gadgets.

The budget on back to school gadgets

The back-to-school season is around the corner which means loading up on the latest tech products. Parents with children in elementary school will shell out an average of $696.7 which is an increase from $684.7 recorded last year.

In 2018, the use of personal computers was 49% but went down to 42% in 2019. The back-to-school survey revealed that 60% of the students use smartphones. Out of these, 51 percent are looking for discounts while the rest are spending 54% of their money on the retailers’ websites. This has made many retailers to position a wide range of digital offerings at their stores. Because most shoppers can see the convenience of retail stores, only one-fifth buy pre-configured school kits. Undecided parents are shopping online and very few are shopping at Parent-teacher associations. The sample size showed that most parents will be spending on electronics and gadgets such as:

  • Smartphones
  • Tablets
  • Wearable

Price is important when shopping for clothing and accessories

In recent years, parents have been spending lots of money on tech. But in 2019, they will spend more on gadgets than computers. But the greatest influence among the categories is clothing and accessories since they command the average spend. Parents are expected to spend more than half the school spending, followed by school supplies and electric gadgets. Computers and hardware take up about 11 percent of the total school spending. Most notably, 90 percent of the respondents will be spending on electronics and gadgets. It’s worth mentioning that the dollar stores have held second place for the last 48 months. About 60 percent of the respondents are planning to visit the mass merchant stores one month before the school year begins. The average spending on clothing and school supplies is $284.

Generally, the prices start to creep up in the school shopping season and reach a peak in early summer. This is because 62% of the shopping takes place at this time. While the summer vacation is still in full swing, retailers should start laying their notebooks and backpacks soon. For students going back to college, a parent will spend an average of $1,362 which is approximately 2.4% more than last year. The survey also highlights the fact that teenagers will participate in back-to-school purchasing decisions. Over the years, price, product, and convenience are the foundation of back-to-school shopping.

More sales moving online

Over the years, back-to-school shopping takes place online. The trend is set to continue this year with more sales shifting to online channels like Amazon. Deloitte predicts a 29 increase (%) in sales, up from 23% recorded the previous year. As the computer and hardware category faces a 16% decline, you should expect to see more K-students show off new e-readers and cellphones. This is the first time parents will be buying electronics for children.

Technology has proven to be very helpful as most children can access educational websites. What’s more, they can access a lot of material on the relevant topics. The firm reports that the majority of the shopping will be done at discount stores and department stores. This is also the first time parents are saying they are likely to make their purchases with a smartphone to click the buy button. Social media is also a factor. More than 27 percent of shoppers are using social media platforms to search for the best deals.

Out of the 1200 parents interviewed, 88 percent of them plan to visit mass merchant stores like Walmart and Target. More than 80% of school shoppers have half of their purchases to complete. The survey was conducted from 31st May to 6th June 2019.

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