According to the study, for households going back to school shopping this season, on average, they are shopping for 2 people going back to school. The majority of responding households indicated having students go back to elementary school (50%), followed by high school and college (37% and 36% respectively) and middle school (29%).
From department stores to office supplies stores to online checkouts, the back to school buying season has consumers rushing to all sorts of retailers for their back to school needs.
Last year, HP and Apple dominated the electronics category and tied at 31% for those with brands in mind as the most sought after for the back to school buying season. But this year, electronics manufacturer HP surpassed Apple by 5%. 33% of respondents will seek HP and 27% will seek Apple computers/electronics for their back-to-school purchases; of which 55% of respondents plan to spend $300 or more, the highest out of all categories included in the survey.
By addressing consumers’ feelings surrounding a purchase, retailers can help steer a positive experience that develops customer loyalty. This year’s study measured purchase intent and sentiments related to purchases in the following categories: Fashion/Apparel, Computer/Electronics, School Supplies, and Accessories. TrendSource found that among the range of emotions associated with back to school purchases, the most commonly cited were excitement, and hopefulness. The intensity of these emotions corresponds to the out-of-pocket expense for purchases in each product category. In addition to being excited and hopeful, respondents in the electronics category had the highest rate of nervousness when compared to other purchase categories. Conversely, respondents purchasing fashion/accessories had the highest rate of stress when compared to other product categories.
For the detailed Back to School Consumer Insights report and infographic, click here.
About This Study
TrendSource conducted this research study by surveying 6,880 North American Field Agents in the MSI database between August 6th and August 18th, 2014. The results represent 1,547 online respondents who met the qualifying criteria of confirming intent to engage in back-to-school shopping for at least one person in their household this year. All respondents opted in to participate voluntarily.
