• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 29, 2016

According to new data from Bizrate, over 70% of K-12 back-to-school shopping will take place before school starts, regardless of product category or age of the children. And, while parents with children in grades K-12 plan to do the majority of their back-to-school shopping in brick-and-mortar stores this fall, a few product categories swing much more heavily towards online shopping, especially technology.

K-12 parents do most of the buying, but several factors can affect their decision, and these influences vary depending on the product, whether or not the school has a uniform and the age of the child.

 Schools heavily influence what school supplies parents get, and to a lesser extent the technology they buy, says the report. But kid's themselves have a very heavy influence over the majority of back to school related purchases measured in the study, especially gear (backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.), shoes and clothes (for the 77% of K-12 students without a school uniform).  

Interestingly, says the report, price is not a major driver of purchase influence with the exception of school supplies. And Hayley Silver, VP of Insights at Bizrate Insights, says “…Product reviews don’t have a strong influence on most parents' back-to-school decisions… except when it comes to technology purchases…”

 Ms. Silver concludes by noting that “… the older the child is… more likely that a higher percentage… of back-to-school purchases… take place within the first month of the start of school…”

The study is based on 7,787 online buyers in the US and Canada planning to back-to-school shop for a child in grades K-12. Data via an online survey presented immediately after completing a purchase at one of over 4,000 online retailers.

For access to the complete report, please visit Bizrate Insights here.