Back to school sales entice parents to shop online

Thursday, August 4, 2011 - 11:30 by Graham Miller

Although the school holidays are only just beginning many parents will be looking ahead to the new term and preparing to supply their kids with the equipment they need, with a new study suggesting that more people will be turning to safe shopping online for educational kit than ever before.

A study published by analyst organisation Accenture, has discovered that about half of all parents will turn to the web when they want to buy school supplies for the next year.

Ninety-one per cent of those questioned said that the main reason for choosing safe shopping online was the promise of cheaper prices than on the high street, even during back to school sales at bricks and mortar outlets.

There was actually a drop in the number of people putting product quality as a driving factor behind their purchases between 2010 and 2011, implying that bargain hunting really is the first thing people look for in a shopping spree.

Interestingly, seven per cent of respondents said that they had actually noticed that local schools are taking advantage of e-commerce firms and lower prices online to stock up on equipment, following in the footsteps of savvy consumers.

Although only three per cent said that they would purchase every pencil, rubber, protractor and text book from e-commerce firms, almost 50 per cent said they would be spending at least a portion of their back to school budget online.

Significantly, the study found that even those who do end up buying on the high street have usually researched prices and products via the internet beforehand. People are typically turning to their smartphones rather than their laptops and desktops to find out information about items before heading out to pick them up for their children.