The Role of Mobile in Back to School Shopping

Over the past few years, there has been a major increase in shoppers turning to their smartphones and tablets to complete transactions, especially in 2014. While this trend was extremely popular during the holiday season, it is continuing and carrying over during the back-to-school shopping season. It is estimated that this year consumers will spend $72.5 billion on back-to-school items in the United States. Since back-to-school shopping has turned into a huge opportunity for stores to reach consumers, here’s what you need to know about the role of mobile in back-to-school shopping.

With the ease of online shopping, customers are starting to prefer shopping from the comfort of their own home, rather than physically going to the store. Here are the top reasons consumers prefer to shop online rather than in brick and mortar stores:

• Better prices


• Quicker shopping


• Avoiding crowds

This year, according to AOL and Internet Retailer, 68% of consumers age 18-34, with back-to-school shopping lists, plan to shop online more. The NRF even reported that 21.8% of back-to-school shoppers plan on using their smartphones to shop, and even more plan on using their tablets. This number is up from 18.2% last year.

It’s easy to assume that back to school shoppers are only using their mobile devices to make purchases during this season, but studies are starting to prove otherwise. The average family with school aged children will spend $668.28 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics, which is a 5% increase from last year. With a plethora of coupons available out in cyberspace, 66% of consumers use their mobile devices to find coupons and 55% compare prices with your competitors. Many online shoppers have said that special offers and coupons influence between a quarter and three quarters of their purchases. The NRF reported that 81% of parents say that the economy is still affecting their purchases, so consumers are still trying to find the items that will give them the most bang for their buck.

The NRF noted that one major change during the 2014 back-to-school season was that both parents and students are researching items before they proceed to purchase. 73% research products and 61% look at customer reviews. With omni-channel giving consumer’s access to stores literally 24/7, consumers started their research even earlier than normal. Nearly one-fourth of consumers started researching products before July 4^th and almost two-thirds did so by the end of July.

While there is something special about physically going to a store to buy all your new clothes and supplies, it is clear that mobile devices have made their mark on back-to-school shopping, especially when it is playing a part in the $72.5 billion being spent.

The Role of Mobile in Back to School Shopping