As we saw in the 2012 Back-to-School Issue of the Checkout, price is becoming parity across retailers and the demands of shoppers are evolving. Interestingly, we saw the age of parents driving a lot of difference in shopper preferences. While 35 percent of 35-to-44 year-old parents think of back-to-school shopping as a chore, only 15 percent of 25-to-34-year-old parents do. Younger parents are more apt to find enjoyment in back-to-school shopping through high-quality items and experiential shopping trips than older parents are (see Figure 1).
Younger parents are also
18 percent more likely than older parents to look for experience in their
trips. And, even though they are highly concerned with price (almost a quarter
seek out coupons for back-to-school items and use them for everything they buy),
30 percent of younger parents also end up buying things they did not plan on
purchasing. These impulse purchases may be because 15 percent of younger
parents think about how back-to-school products reflect on them as a parent,
compared to 8 percent of parents 35-to-44-years old.
The combination of price-concern paired with the desire for quality products and experiential trips helps to explain the rise in Discount/Dollar stores as seen in The Back-to-School Checkout Issue earlier this Fall. Younger parents are able to feel comfortable browsing and exploring discount stores without the fear that what they find will too greatly exceed their budget.
Interested in Learning More about Back-to-School Shopping? Download the Back-to-School Shopper Checkout, Issue 4.12.
