Moms and Media · August 2, 2013
Online Shopping Earns High Marks for Back to School
By Edison Research
As much as I hate to admit it, the summer is quickly evaporating. July 4th seems distant already, the days are not quite as long, and summer camps will soon be winding down. As if that weren’t depressing enough, add in the dreaded words ‘back to school’ and we have a major summer buzzkill. With just about a month to go until Labor Day, back-to-school ads are infiltrating the spaces that had been filled with beach gear and vacation destinations. For busy moms like me who live for summer and want to savor every last bit of it, weeding through the hassles of back-to-school shopping is a must. A big fan of both product comparison and shopping online, I am not unlike other parents, or so says new research from Deloitte.
According to the annual Deloitte Back-to-School survey, which was just released, 36% of consumers plan to do back-to-school shopping online this year. This is up significantly from their 2012 study, when it was just 20% going online. Online sources were also the top choice for parents to learn about back-to-school items. 55% of parents said they would most likely hear about items they intended to purchase from online sources, such as retailer websites and blogs, compared to one-third who said the same in 2012.
Both of these Deloitte findings correspond with our own research about the increasing amount of time spent online, particularly with moms. According to our study, Moms and Media 2013, moms are highly engaged online, and are now spending almost three hours daily with the Internet. Since moms are driving the shopping for school clothing and supplies, the Internet is quickly gaining as the primary solution for both information and purchasing.
While parents are back-to-school shopping online, they are also using social media. According to the Deloitte study, 21% of respondents plan to use social media sites in their back-to-school shopping. Moms are always on the hunt for a deal, and they seek opinions from other moms before they spend their money. It’s no wonder, then, that the driving forces to social media during back-to-school time are promotions and reviews. Deloitte reports that among those planning to use social media for back-to-school shopping, 83% will visit social media sites to find out about promotions, and 67% will go there to read reviews/recommendations. As noted in this year’s Moms and Media report, more than 4 in 10 (42%) social networking moms follow companies or brands on social media sites. Social-savvy moms will be looking for their favorite retailers to cut through the clutter with creative approaches for savings and product information for their back-to-school needs.
Half of the respondents in the Deloitte study reported that early August is when they will do the majority of their shopping for back-to-school, which is right about now. Modern tools like the Internet and social media make it more appealing than ever to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible. This allows busy moms to hang on to summer just a little bit longer, or at least until September.
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As much as I hate to admit it, the summer is quickly evaporating. July 4th seems distant already, the days are not quite as long, and summer camps will soon be winding down. As if that weren’t depressing enough, add in the dreaded words ‘back to school’ and we have a major summer buzzkill. With just about a month to go until Labor Day, back-to-school ads are infiltrating the spaces that had been filled with beach gear and vacation destinations. For busy moms like me who live for summer and want to savor every last bit of it, weeding through the hassles of back-to-school shopping is a must. A big fan of both product comparison and shopping online, I am not unlike other parents, or so says new research from Deloitte.
According to the annual Deloitte Back-to-School survey, which was just released, 36% of consumers plan to do back-to-school shopping online this year. This is up significantly from their 2012 study, when it was just 20% going online. Online sources were also the top choice for parents to learn about back-to-school items. 55% of parents said they would most likely hear about items they intended to purchase from online sources, such as retailer websites and blogs, compared to one-third who said the same in 2012.
Both of these Deloitte findings correspond with our own research about the increasing amount of time spent online, particularly with moms. According to our study, Moms and Media 2013, moms are highly engaged online, and are now spending almost three hours daily with the Internet. Since moms are driving the shopping for school clothing and supplies, the Internet is quickly gaining as the primary solution for both information and purchasing.
While parents are back-to-school shopping online, they are also using social media. According to the Deloitte study, 21% of respondents plan to use social media sites in their back-to-school shopping. Moms are always on the hunt for a deal, and they seek opinions from other moms before they spend their money. It’s no wonder, then, that the driving forces to social media during back-to-school time are promotions and reviews. Deloitte reports that among those planning to use social media for back-to-school shopping, 83% will visit social media sites to find out about promotions, and 67% will go there to read reviews/recommendations. As noted in this year’s Moms and Media report, more than 4 in 10 (42%) social networking moms follow companies or brands on social media sites. Social-savvy moms will be looking for their favorite retailers to cut through the clutter with creative approaches for savings and product information for their back-to-school needs.
Half of the respondents in the Deloitte study reported that early August is when they will do the majority of their shopping for back-to-school, which is right about now. Modern tools like the Internet and social media make it more appealing than ever to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible. This allows busy moms to hang on to summer just a little bit longer, or at least until September.