Today’s back-to-school shopping goes beyond pencils and loose-leaf paper. Think more like desktop computers, laptops, printers, educational software, iPods and USB flash drives. Thirteen percent more, according to a July 2007 survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The NRF predicts a 13 percent increase in electronics purchases over last year, the biggest increase among the back-to-school categories. Electronics may be shifting from luxury items to school necessities, the NRF surmises. Perhaps school-age children are getting a second family computer for homework assignments. That iPod
Electronics can be a great present to give to students this month. See Amazon’s general bestsellers in Electronics
Overall, the NRF survey estimates Americans will spend an estimated $18.4 billion on back-to-school items this year. With expenditures like that, back-to-school ranks just behind Christmas for retailers as a major shopping season. The biggest chunk of the back-to-school budget remains clothing purchases (41.3 percent), but the NRF predicts flat sales for apparel and accessories. However, footwear is expected to yield higher-than-average sales, 10.3 percent more. And the shopping starts just about now; 45.2 percent begin the back-to-school buying three weeks to one month from the start of classes.
You can read more about the survey from the links below:
- NRF Summary: Back-to-school spending to top $18 billion
- Full Survey Results: 2007 Consumer Intentions and Actions Back-to-School survey
Tags: back to school, clothing, for kids, for teens, gadgets, shopping, surveys
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