Study: Saving money tops parents’ back-to-school shopping lists

Parents are pulling back on their back-to-school spending, and making “essential” school supplies their top priorities.



This was according to a new survey from Ebates and global internet services company Rakuten. The study, which was conducted online by Propeller Insights in June 2017, tapped 1,001 adults and 500 teens.



Many parents (42%) plan to spend between $100 and $300 this back-to-school shopping season — significantly less than the $250-$500 they planned to spend last year. The survey also discovered that a majority of American parents (80%) are likely to take advantage of back to school promotions.



Keeping a keen eye on back-to-school essentials this year, both parents and teens are in sync regarding what those top needs are. Both groups said that clothing and shoes were on top of their shopping lists (73% for parents and 60% for teens). This is followed by pens/pencils/notebooks (19% for parents, 33% for teens), and a backpack or school bag (7% for parents, 6% for teens).



“Our Back to School survey found that budgets are smaller this year, and that parents and teens are shopping for the tried-and-true back to school essentials,” said Amit Patel, CEO of Ebates.



When it comes to “fun” back-to-school items, accessories win for both parents (58%) and teens (61%). Lower on the list were headphones (36% for parents and 49% for teens); laptops (34% parents, 25% teens), sporting goods (both at 30%), cell phones (23% for parents, 19% for teens), and iPads or other tablets (23% parents, 12% for teens).



The majority of teens (66%) also plan to get a haircut over the summer. Meanwhile, college students plan to buy microwaves (24%), mini fridges (22%), futons (15%) and hot plates (11%).



Where parents and teens differ is the items they dread purchasing. Teens don’t like shopping for pens and pencils (33%), while parents dread buying clothes and shoes (50%).



More than two-thirds (36%) of American parents said that they typically end up purchasing all of their back to school supplies from three stores, and 30% will buy from just two. However, physical stores are not the only place back-to-school shoppers are getting their inspiration.



Social media is going to play a strong role in helping teens with their back to school shopping decisions. When asked which platform they use most frequently, teens said they use Instagram (68%) and Snapchat (67%) equally. Facebook was far behind, with only 39% of teens using it the most.



College students rated Facebook much higher, at 66%. However, this age demographic uses Instagram (71%) and Snapchat (67%) with about the same frequency, the study said.



When it comes to which social media platform is most helpful when finding back-to-school items to purchase, younger teens selected Instagram (45%), while college students chose Facebook (53%), the study said.