10 Jul The NPD Group Expects Positive Back-to-School Season For E-commerce
The NPD Group, Inc., a global information company, released the results of its annual back-to-school study of consumers’ purchasing intentions for the 2013 season. In general, consumers intend to start their shopping later but spend more this year, especially online. This will bring an expected 3 percent dollar increase to online back-to-school sales vs. the prior year with price and convenience being the main motivators.
“The increase in spend online comes at the expense of national chains and mass merchants,” said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “Value, price, and products that are on sale are less important to the consumers than last year but this is positive news for department stores and apparel specialty retailers too, as more consumers plan to shop there compared to last year.”
The 2013 back-to-school category winners were apparel and footwear, followed by calculators, apparel accessories, school bags, and sports equipment, while school supplies are down.
“These categories are important to note for several reasons, one is for category growth but another is for reading between the lines and seeing that consumers are spending more on desirables rather than only necessities,” said Cohen. “Parents are loosening up on the tight budgets and letting their kids once again make the decisions.”
The study shows consumers expect to buy students what they want and value to be less of a key factor in their back-to-school shopping decisions. Back-to-school shoppers aim to listen to students for reasons to purchase an item – illustrating kids’ influence on these seasonal shopping trips.
“Students will be buying at their favorite stores, buying some key items they want, and even likely get a new backpack along the way,” concluded Cohen.
Methodology: Findings presented here are based on a poll of 2,500 members of The NPD Group’s online consumer panel. U.S. adults age 18 and older participated in the study, which was fielded between June 25 and July 1, 2013.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdgroup.