• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, August 31, 2011

With worrisome signs about the economy looming over the heads of consumers that just won't go away, new research from Publicis Groupe's MediaVest shows that parents are much more focused during this back-to-school shopping season on basics like clothing and supplies. They are less interested in spending on bigger-ticket items, such as computers, phones and software.

And most back-to-school shoppers will be paying strict attention to the prices they pay. They say they are keeping a sharp eye out for advertised sales, discounts and rebates, the research found.

Last year, when there was generally more optimism that the bad economic times were receding apace, coupled with high demand for Apple's new iPad mobile device, electronics purchases were the top priority for back-to-school shoppers, per agency findings.

New fears of a double-dip recession and other economic woes have altered priorities.

"People are not only more uncertain now about the economy, they are much less hopeful or optimistic about where we're headed," said John Spiropoulos, senior vice president, research, at MediaVest.

The latest research comes from MediaVest's ongoing tracking study called the Civic Observatory, which draws on a pool of 1,500 respondents who were quizzed on back-to-school shopping issues from mid-June to early August.

Spiropoulos said MediaVest was teaming with market research firm Ipsos in a separate study to explore the current pessimism, "and what its implications are not just from an advertiser perspective across different categories," but also from the broader view of the mental state of consumers. That project, he said, begins in about a month.

According to the back-to-school survey, 19% of the respondents said they would spend more on clothing and accessories this year, while 16% said they would spend less on those items. And 21% said they would spend more on school supplies, while 15% said they would spend less.

On the technology front, 19% said they would spend less this year on mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones, compared to 13% who said they would spend more. And while 17% said they would spend less on computers, just 13% said they would spend more.

And for those spending more, the study found, the reasons are "aspirational," with 57% indicating they are doing so to "meet the needs of my child," due to age or school year.

Among those spending less, 47% said they simply could not afford to spend as much as last year. Over 30% said they would buy as much stuff as last year, but "shop at lower-priced stores."

Consumer price sensitivity is extremely high this year. More than 90% of those planning to buy clothing and school supplies during back-to-school days said that sales, discounts and rebates were "somewhat important to very important" to their shopping strategies.