Surveys Show Strong Back-to-School Sales
The 2010 Back-to-School season is forecast to get an “A” in business.
Several prominent surveys are showing that parents will spend more money on their kids’ clothes and school supplies this year compared with the 2009 Back-to-School season.
Los Angeles–based e-commerce site PriceGrabber released its Back-to-School Shopping Consumer Behavior Report on July 19. In a survey of 1,718 online customers, it found that 85 percent of Back-to-School shoppers planned to purchase clothing for elementary-school students this year, compared with 78 percent last year. Middle-school students also are in luck. In 2010, 82 percent of shoppers surveyed planned to buy clothing for middle-school students, compared with 77 percent in 2009.
The shopping trend goes up the educational scale. Sixty percent of shoppers said they would buy clothing for college students, compared with 47 percent last year.
Shoppers stressed they intend to keep shopping on a budget, but their mood has changed, said Laura Conrad, PriceGrabber’s president. “This demonstrates consumers are feeling more confident about the economy this year than last.”
Technology purchases also will be important for the upcoming Back-to-School season, according to the survey, especially for parents of elementary-school students. The recent survey forecast that 15 percent of elementary-school students will start school with a new laptop, 13 percent will have computer accessories and 10 percent will receive a new cell phone.
Joining the good news chorus on Back-to-School sales, a recent National Retail Federation survey on July 15 also predicted the Back-to-School season will make cash registers ring. The NRF’s 2010 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School Survey found that the average American family will spend $606.40 on apparel, footwear, school supplies and electronics, compared with $548.72 in 2009. Combined K–12 and college spending is expected to reach $55.12 billion in the upcoming Back-to-School season.
The biggest part of Back-to-School budgets will be devoted to kids’ clothes, with the average family predicted to spend $225.47. They will spend $181.60 on electronics for children, $102.93 on footwear and $96.39 on school supplies.
On July 15, the International Council of Shopping Centers forecast the Back-to-School season could be the strongest since 2005. Back-to-School sales this year are expected to increase 5.4 percent compared with last year.—Andrew Asch
