• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, September 17, 2018

When it comes to shopping for back-to-school supplies and clothes, the most important influencers may not be the people paying the bills. According to the GfK MRI American Kids Study, 94% of children ages 6 to 11 say they influence the back-to-school items or clothes their parents buy for them. 

61% girls ages 10 to 11 say they have “a lot” of purchase influence, compared to 44% of girls in the 6-to-9 age group.

Boys seem to feel they have less shopping clout, with only 50% of those 10 to 11, and 37% of those ages 6 to 9, reporting they have “a lot” of effect on back-to-school supply or clothing purchases.  

In the new GfK MRI American Kids Study, 69% parents with children ages 6 to 11 say that their child joins them for back-to-school shopping at least half the time. For parents of girls ages 10 to 11, that figure jumps to 81%.

The MRI study also shows that kids ages 10 to 11 are 47% more likely than the average child to have shopped or looked at things to buy on the Internet in the last 30 days; but children ages 6 to 9 are 23% less likely to have done so.

Lisa Tyler, VP of Sales at MRI, says “… they may not have mobile wallets yet, but young kids still have huge influence on their parents’ purchases in the back-to-school season… at a time when almost half of children 10 to 11 are Internet shoppers… they have information and opinions about the supplies and clothes they need… marketers need to… tap into this essential influencer group…in the leadup to school… as well as throughout the year…”  

MRI’s American Kids Study™ mirrors the Survey, capturing demographics, media usage, lifestyles, and attitudes for kids ages 6 to 11, and the result is a reliable national sample of the 44 million households sheltering some of the country's most influential consumers, concludes the report. GfK connects data and science. Innovative research solutions provide answers for key business questions around consumers, markets, brands and media.