Here Comes The Sun Mp3

Top 10 back-to-school trends for 2011

Though many kids have only had a few weeks to enjoy the summer sun, parents are already checking retailers’ weekly advertisements, websites and social media to find the best deals. Even though it feels like summer has just begun, it’s back-to-school time. NRF’s latest Back-to-School and College surveys , conducted by BIGresearch , are a gold mine full of consumer trends. We dug deep to find some hidden trends living within the numbers. Here are a few insights:

#1: This year’s theme for parents: “Spend where you need to, save where you can.” Though the economy is still impacting shoppers (see Trend #3), parents are willing to spend on things their kids actually need. According to the survey, fewer people will be spending in specific categories, but those who are buying in individual categories are spending more than a year ago. Sound confusing? It’s not. What this means is that parents are actually taking inventory of last year’s items – asking kids to get out the backpacks to see if their pencils are still sharp, try on those “old” jeans, and check if the tennis shoes still fit. If there are items children need, parents are certainly receptive to spending. But if last year’s clothes still fit or the school supplies haven’t totally run out, parents might be holding off on purchases until later this fall or for Christmas. The moral of the story, kids: It’s not going to be as easy to talk mom or dad into things this year – unless last year’s backpack has a broken strap, you’ll be bringing it to school this year too.

#2: It’s not about the best price. It’s about the best deal. In 2009, it was all about the Benjamins. This year, we continue to see a trend that emerged during last year’s back-t0-school season : value matters more than price. Instead of looking for the lowest common denominator, parents may be swayed to purchase a laptop if it comes with a free one-year warranty or buy the lunchbox that comes with a matching thermos. Today’s back-to-school shopper is including factors like quality and service when deciding where to shop.

#3: The economy is still impacting spending. We’re all well aware that slumping home values and high unemployment have put a damper on consumer sentiment in recent years, so it’s not surprising that families heading out to buy school items are looking to cut costs where they can. With the extra burden of tuition, college students and their parents are slightly more likely to change their spending plans this year because of the economy and will compensate by buying more store brand and generic products (38%) and doing more comparative shopping online (31%). Families with students in K-12th grades will curtail expenses by spending less overall (44%) and shopping for sales more often (50%).

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