In the US, back to school (B2S) season accounts for about half of the annual school-related spend, touches 29 million households and accounts for over $27 billion in sales, as it represents the second biggest shopping season of the year.

• 52% of US parents surveyed belong to Millennial age group.
• 98% plan to buy school supplies with an average spend of $104 per person.
• 81% plan to shop at mass merchants. This jumps over the last year with 24% point.
• 30% of B2S shoppers prefer to buy pre-configured school kits.
• 61% make researchers online first before purchasing B2S products in the physical store.
• 68% plan to purchase from online retailers who offer free shipping and 52% prefer to purchase from retailers who offer an option to buy online and return – replace – from a store.
• 60% of B2S shoppers began their shopping before August, while 40% began their shopping after July.
• 57% of B2S online purchases are made via desktops, 49% are made via mobile devices and 22% are made via tablets.
• 27% use social media sites for assisting them in their B2S shopping. 75% use social media to view promotions/ads and 64% to receive a coupon.
• 49% prefer “loyalty programs” – which provide faster or cheaper shipping to discounts – when shopping online.

Methodology:

Data were driven from 1,200 parents of school-aged children. The survey was conducted between May 31 and June 6, 2017. The entire sample has a margin of error of +/- 3% points.