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Posts Tagged ‘back to school shopping’

Electronics Top Shopper Back to School Lists, SortPrice.com Says

Posted in Ecommerce, General News / Technology, Retail, tagged , , , on August 12, 2011 | 1 Comment »

With the back-to-school shopping season in full swing, what items are consumers targeting most?

According to price comparison site SortPrice.com, electronics and gadgets are once again the most sought-after products in 2011.   The company rolled out its annual top 10 popular back to school products list yesterday, which is compiled using site traffic and user searches.

Gone are the days when pencils, pens, and spiral-bound notebooks dominate back to school shopping lists, though SortPrice is quick to point out that the economic climate is still having an effect on consumer buying habits, even now during the industry’s second-biggest shopping period of the year.

“With the economy still clearly affecting consumer buying habits, we’ve got an interesting dynamic going on this back to school season,” says Doron Simovitch, SortPrice co-founder and CEO. “While parents seem committed to spending extra time looking for the best price on back to school essentials, that diligence hasn’t necessarily translated down to students, who are still targeting higher-end electronics in particular as must-haves before they return to the classroom this fall.”

So what does this year’s SortPrice top 10 look like?

1- Apple iPad 2

2- Sony Cybershot Digital Cameras

3- UGG Girls and Women’s Boots

4- Acer Netbooks

5- Jansport Backpacks

6- North Face Hooded Sweatshirts and Outerwear

7- Bed-in-a-Bag Bedding Ensembles

8- Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Sneakers

9- Diesel Messenger Bags

10- High-Definition Web Cams

We were surprised to see the iPad so high on the list given its hefty price tag but it’s apparent that more students (and their parents) are viewing Apple’s tablet as a must for a successful school year.

Thoughts on SortPrice’s list?  Leave us a comment with what you’re targeting for back to school 2011!

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Is Back-to-School Shopping Already Doomed?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on July 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

The calendar only reads July 21 but should retailers be concerned that the back-to-school shopping season this year is going to be a bust?  Maybe so.

A survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF), conducted by BIGresearch earlier this month, reveals that consumers will likely reign in spending on school supplies in 2011–families with kids between kindergarten and grade 12 are expected to spend roughly $603.63 during the back-to-school season, which would be a decrease of 0.5 percent from last year.

Total spending for the retail industry’s second most-important shopping period of the year, for K-12 and college combined, is expected to total about $68.8 billion.

Still, high prices at the gas pump combined with continued record unemployment around the country seem to have already hurt the prospects for a bigger back-to-school season.  As a result, shoppers are going to be looking for deals wherever they can find them and retailers that hope to survive will need to oblige.

“Families aren’t opposed to spending on what they need, but parents want their children to take a good look around at what they already have before deciding what to buy for back to school this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay in a statement.  “Retailers understand consumers are extremely focused on value and are taking this opportunity to offer substantial savings on merchandise.”

The survey polled 8,694 shoppers in early July.  Highlights from the data include:

–57 percent of respondents will shop at department stores, targeting private label brands that are often a cheaper alternative;

–Electronics won’t be nearly as sought-after this year, with slightly more than half of those polled planning to buy them, down from 63. 7 percent in 2010;

–With 43.7 percent of respondents saying the economy will force them to spend less in general, 39.9 percent will be looking for store-brand or generic items and 50 percent will be shopping for sales;

–The web will once again be a haven for back-to-school shoppers; 31.7 percent will go online in 2011 (up slightly from 30.8 percent a year ago) and 29.8 percent will use online comparison shopping resources;

–Average spending on clothing ($220.60) and school supplies ($88.99) will slightly decrease this year, while families will spend an average of $104.53 on shoes, a slight increase over last year;

–A majority of those polled (68.4 percent) said they plan to make at least one purchase from a discount store, while clothing stores (48.7 percent), office supply stores (38 percent) and electronics stores (21.7 percent) should also be good for at least one purchase as well.

The results overall tend to mirror similar (and earlier) assessments of the 2011 back-to-school shopping season.  While the numbers don’t seem too bad per se, the estimates certainly fall short of what many in the retail and e-commerce industries have to be hoping for as the summer starts to wind down.  Only time will tell if actual sales equal, fall short, or exceed the expectations put forth by the NRF and others.

As always, leave us your thoughts and comments!

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Summer Online Spending Projections Look Good

Posted in Ecommerce, Online Shopping, tagged , , , , , on July 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

To say that economic data this year has been a mixed bag would be an understatement.  It seems like one week we have some positive news to report while other weeks analysts are forecasting continued doom and gloom.  With such a varied amount of data coming in on consumer spending, retail sales and the like, it’s been tough to establish exactly where we are on the path to economic recovery.

Today’s report, however, falls into the “glass half-full” category.

The most recent eBillme Online Spending Index offers a gauge of prospective consumer spending trends for the third quarter of this year, a time period that incorporates the bulk of both summer and back-to-school shopping.

The survey of about 1,200 shoppers projects 2010 third quarter online spending to be up at least 20 percent over the same quarter last year, averaging about $271.77 per consumer.  That’s a promising sign for retailers hoping to deliver strong summer sales ahead of the busy fall and holiday shopping seasons.

Digging a bit deeper, 30 percent of those polled intend to spend more than $250 online this quarter, including 13 percent who will spend $500 or more and 5 percent who will spend over $1,000.  Big spenders, however, will be hard to find in Q3, with only 2 percent of respondents indicating that their online spending will exceed $2,000.

Despite the projected increases for the quarter, there still remains some trepidation on the part of consumers when it comes to spending.  Last year’s third quarter index revealed that 57 percent of those polled were planning on delaying purchases because of uncertainty surrounding the economy.  That figure is down to 44 percent in 2010 but is still high enough to indicate that shoppers aren’t convinced that the economy has rebounded completely.

Similarly, 23 percent of those polled this year said they’re close to their credit limits; down from 27 percent last year.  Identity theft and overall online security remains a concern for most shoppers as well.

Echoing earlier reports, 17 percent of respondents indicated that they’ll shop online this year for  their back-to-school supplies online and 14 percent will spend more on school items than they did in 2009.

eBillme, an online payment services provider, contracts Javelin Strategy & Research to conduct the quarterly index, the first of which was unveiled two years ago.

As always, leave us a comment with your thoughts.  Where do your personal summer and back-to-school shopping plans compare with the data listed above?  We want to hear from you!

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NRF Predicts a 10 Percent Bump in Back-to-School Shopping

Posted in Ecommerce, Online Shopping, Retail, tagged , , , on July 16, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

We love wrapping up the week with an item that offers some hope and good news for retailers. And this certainly qualifies.

The National Retail Federation is projecting that families will spend about 10 percent more on back-to-school items this year than they did in 2009.  Such an increase could push the industry’s back-to-school sales figures past $55 billion, making it the second-biggest consumer spending period behind the holiday shopping season.

The forecast predicts that families will spend an average of $606 in 2010 on various back-to-school items, from electronics to footwear and apparel.  Last year, the average family expenditure was about $549.

“The industry still remains cautiously optimistic about recovery,” NRF CEO Matt Shay said in a statement.  “As the second half of the year gets under way, retailers will gauge their customers’ spending appetites, which often serve as a bellwether for the all-important holiday season.”

Despite the projected increases, it’s not a clear sign that free-spending consumer habits have returned fully.   In fact, back-to-school shoppers will do their best to stretch their dollars as much as possible—more than 71 percent of those surveyed indicated that they’ll shop at discount stores and 44 percent plan to buy store labels or genetic brands this year, up from 42 percent in 2009.

Clothing and footwear will make up a majority of the back-to-school spending, averaging $225 and $103 respectively.  Electronics and tech spending will reach about $182 for grade- and high-schoolers and $237 for college students.

But perhaps most importantly, 31 percent of those polled indicate that they’ll be shopping online for back-to-school in 2010.  That’s up from 22 percent last year.

The NRF’s projections are a bit higher than the International Council of Shopping Centers, which estimates only a 5.4 percent total rise in back-to-school spending this year.

The NRF polled 9,009 consumers between June 30 to July 7 to compile its data.

Any way you look at it, it appears that shoppers will in fact be spending some money in advance of this fall.  Retailers should already be well underway with your back-to-school strategy and planning, and this report certainly should provide hope that the industry reports strong sales numbers ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Leave us your comments below.

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Top Back to School Products

Posted in Ecommerce, Online Shopping, tagged , , , , , , on September 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Price comparison website Sortprice.com has released data on the five most searched-for products this back-to-school shopping season.  The company began tracking user searches and overall site traffic in early August to determine the most popular items. 

Microsoft Word Software

Canon Power Shot SX200 Camera

External Hard Drives

Apple iPod Touch

Apple MacBook

Sortprice has all the top products for back-to-school as well as some other helpful hints on products and categories listed on a Back To School Shopping Guide.

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Getting a Jump on College Shopping

Posted in Online Shopping, tagged , , , on July 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

It may only be the second week of July but for parents sending their kids off to college for the first time this year, the departure date is actually right around the corner. With many schools starting classes in early to mid-August, it’s a good idea to get started on this very expansive version of “back to school” shopping right away. You might be surprised with the deals you’ll find online.

Outfitting a new dorm room is an important part of the college experience. This is your kid’s new home, so work with them on crafting a comfortable sanctuary. If you already have twin size sheets at home and just need a comforter, check out these  cool designs. Or buy a whole new set at once, with the popular Bed-in-a-Bag style.   Add an area rug to warm up the room and don’t forget plenty of storage containers for those seasonal clothes and miscellaneous items.

Once you’ve got the dorm room figured out, you can move on to other essentials. Pens, paper, notebooks, file folders, calculators, etc. are likely to be more expensive in the campus bookstore so it’s recommended that you load up on school supplies all at once. You can also find a great selection of messenger bags  and backpacks online as well if that old book-bag is in need of an upgrade.

Electronics are a bigger part of school shopping than ever before. But you’ll save more money if you research and compare prices online on items such as MP3 players, cellular telephones and digital cameras.  If you’re looking for a new computer, netbooks are scaled-down laptop computers with basic software platforms at a really affordable price.

If you have tips or ideas for college shopping, leave us a comment below!

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