It may seem like that would mean bad news for retailers this back-to-school season, but the pandemic is actually expected to boost sales. That’s because remote learning is not cheap.
The National Retail Federation, the largest retail group in the retail industry, estimates that parents with children in K-12 will spend an average of $ 790, compared to $ 697 last year, while families with children who are going to The university will spend an average of $ 1,060, compared to $ 977 in 2019.
As a result, total back-to-school and college spending is projected to reach $ 101.6 billion, surpassing $ 80.7 billion last year and crossing the $ 100 billion mark for the first time, the group said. on Wednesday.
Families surveyed in the group survey said they will buy more higher-priced items such as laptops, desktops and computer accessories for their children at school and university, anticipating that at least some classes will take place online, she said. the group.
The NRF report was based on a survey of 7,481 consumers and was conducted July 1-8.
For retailers, the stakes are high. The school supply shopping months of July through August are typically the second most important sales period for retailers before the holiday shopping season at the end of the year.
While technology purchases will top the shopping list, parents said they will also buy new clothes, but not as much as last year, and spending on school supplies is expected to increase slightly.
Online shopping is expected to dominate how families will shop, with more than half of K-12 parents turning to the Internet, up from 49% last year.
A separate Deloitte back-to-school report last month also indicated that purchases of technology and hygiene products will largely fill the school’s shopping basket.
The Deloitte report, which recently surveyed 1,200 parents with children in grades K-12 and 1,025 families with children going to college, indicated an average spending of $ 529 per household on clothing, supplies, computers, and electronics for older children. school, 2% more than last year.
For college supplies, parents are expected to spend $ 1,345 per student, unpaid the previous year.
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