Updated July 26, 2012
Second only to Christmas, the back-to-school shopping season is a significant part of the U.S. retail industry calendar and produces a significant portion of annual sales for many major retail chains. Because of the importance of the back-to-school shopping season, BIGResearch conducts an annual Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey for the National Retail Federation (NRF). Not only does this survey reveal back to school shopping trends, it also provides valuable insights into a retail-driven economy struggling to recover from recession.
A comparison of the results of the Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey for 2006 - 2012 tracks the shifts in spending at online, clothes, electronics, discount, and department store retail outlets. The seven-year survey results also reveal shifts in spending on college students versus primary and secondary school-age children.
According to the 2012 back-to-school spending survey results, U.S. consumers are ready, willing and able to shop more, spend more, and participate more in back-to-school and back-to-college retail deals and specials in just about every way measurable. College students and their parents predict that they will spend a total of $53.45 billion in the back-to-school shopping season in 2012, compared to $46.03 billion that they planned to spend in 2011. The parents of younger children predict that they will spend a total of $30.3 billion on back-to-school items in 2012, compared to the $22.8 billion they thought they would spend on their young back-to-schoolers in 2011.
What follows are some of the key results of the Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey for 2006 - 2012 and the shopping trends those results revealed. Results for back-to-college and back-to-school spending were first reported separately in 2007 - 2010. For 2006, the differentiation between spending on college-age kids and younger children at home was not made in the survey results, and those singular figures are included with the "back-to-school" figures below.
Seven-year Comparison of the NRF BIGResearch Back-to-College Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, 2006 - 2012:
Average Amount Consumers Planned to Spend for Back-to-College Clothing and Accessories
$132.97 - 2012
$127.37 - 2011
$120.88 - 2010
$118.56 - 2009
$134.40 - 2008
$149.85 - 2007
Average Amount Consumers Planned to Spend for Back-to-College Shoes
$75.81 - 2012
$60.58 - 2011
$62.20 - 2010
$57.85 - 2009
$58.46 - 2008
$59.90 - 2007
Average Amount Consumers Planned to Spend for Back-to-College Collegiate Branded Merchandise
$52.87 - 2012
$33.00 - 2011
$36.26 - 2010
$34.52 - 2009
$35.26 - 2008
N/A - 2007
Average Amount Consumers Planned to Spend for Back-to-College School Supplies
$75.73 - 2012
$61.48 - 2011
$62.91 - 2010
$61.05 - 2009
$68.47 - 2008
$63.52 - 2007
Average Amount Consumers Planned to Spend for Back-to-College Electronics
$216.40 - 2012
$209.93 - 2011
$236.94 - 2010
$266.08 - 2009
$211.89 - 2008
$258.43 - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Who Planned to Make Their Back-to-College Purchases at Discount Stores
51.9% - 2012
53.9% - 2011
53.8% - 2010
53.4% - 2009
52.0% - 2008
51.5% - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Who Planned to Make Their Back-to-College Purchases Online
37.3% - 2012
33.4% - 2011
28.6% - 2010
28.6% - 2009
29.9% - 2008
30.5% - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Who Planned to Make Their Back-to-College Purchases at Electronics Stores
21.1% - 2012
19.6% - 2011
18.0% - 2010
20.9% - 2009
19.6% - 2008
20.9% - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Planning to Start Back-to-College Shopping Two Months Before School Starts
29.0% - 2012
24.4% - 2011
20.2% - 2010
22.3% - 2009
21.5% - 2008
20.9% - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Planning to Start Back-to-College Shopping The Week School Starts
6.5% - 2012
9.4% - 2011
12.6% - 2010
9.0% - 2009
12.1% - 2008
9.4% - 2007
Percentage of Consumers Planning to Start Back-to-College Shopping After School Starts
9.2% - 2012
9.4% - 2011
10.9% – 2010
9.4% - 2009
8.7% - 2008
10.1% – 2007
>> More Back-to-School Spending Intentions for Primary and Secondary School Children >>
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