Back to School Shopping Habits

Brand new research published by Finder.com.au reveals that parents will be spending an overwhelming $571 per child in primary school on back to school books, stationary and uniforms, and $771 per child in secondary school.  Learn more about the Finder insights here.  In line with this, Market Research just conducted by Mumpower explored how Mums plan and purchase for their children’s Back to School (BTS) needs, as well as identifying preferred retailers for these.

Here are the consumer shopping trends for the upcoming 2023 school year:

How consumers PLAN their back to school shopping:  

• Mums are planners when it comes to getting organised for the new school year, with two-thirds planning more than 1 month in advance. In fact, more than a quarter (27.1%) are planning more than 2 months out.  This highlights that retailers should commence marcomms around BTS in late October / November to generate awareness / be top of mind and maximise their opportunity to be part of the consumer’s consideration set.
• The retailers’ physical store and their website are BOTH critical in the consumer planning process for back-to-school purchasing with more than 50% using each in their planning, meaning that retailers need to give equal weighting to each for the role they play.
• Given that nearly half (48.3%) compare products and prices across different retailers online in their BTS planning, it is imperative for retailers to have best practice UX for their website.
• Catalogues (printed and electronic) play a much lesser role with just 1 in 4 using in the planning process.

How consumer PURCHASE their back to school products

• The bulk of purchasing happens in the window of 1-2 months prior (42.8%) followed by 2-4 weeks prior (34.4%) highlighting December and January as critical for back-to-school retailers as more than three quarters (77.2%) of purchasing for the 2023 school year is intended to be done during these months.
• Consumers intend to use a combination of methods in which to purchase based on their specific needs – physically instore (83%), online delivered (62%), click + collect (46%), meaning retailers need to optimise the consumer experience across ALL of these channels, ensuring they have a deep understanding of their customers and enhancing the journey across ALL touchpoints.
• Consumers specified their preferred retailers for their back to school needs for their children. They were asked what they are planning on buying and which retailer they will MOST LIKELY buy from.