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 In the Stores and in Cyberspace, It Should Be a Good Back-to-School Shopping Season Maybe you’ve already noticed them, in the stores and at the malls – the teenaged back-to-school shoppers, each with an average of $101 to spend on clothes and supplies. They’ll soon be followed by parents with an additional $426 to spend on each child, according to the 2001 American Express Retail Index, which surveys parents and teens just before the school shopping season begins every year. Research for the Index was conducted by telephone this past June and July among more than 700 parents and teenagers ages 12 to 17. Questions covered consumer back-to-school spending, buying attitudes, shopping trends and preferences – both across the United States and with regional breakouts. Nineteen percent of the young respondents told the Retail Index they planned to begin outfitting themselves for school in July. Teenagers’ shopping budgets are about $23 less than a year ago. Their parents, on the other hand, are planning four days of shopping during the month of August, and will spend about the same amount as they did last year. Where They’ll Shop and What They’ll Choose As in years past, the Retail Index asked about shoppers’ favorite stores (34 percent of the parents preferred mass merchandisers like K-Mart, Target or Wal-Mart; while 36 percent of the teens opted for specialty stores such as The Gap or The Limited). Nearly two-thirds of the parents surveyed say they will go shopping with their children and a like number reported that conflicts over what to purchase don’t often take place. (And, if they do, the one who is paying the bill makes the final decision.) Among all teens, the top five clothing brands are Tommy Hilfiger, Old Navy, The Gap, Adidas and Nike. However, brand favorites do differ by gender. The top five brands among teen boys are Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Adidas, Polo/Ralph Lauren and FUBU, and the top five brands among teen girls are Old Navy, The Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Express/The Limited. Online Shopping Grows in Popularity If your local mall doesn’t seem particularly crowded with back-to-school shoppers, you may want to check cyberspace. Nineteen percent of teens and 13 percent of parents plan to browse or shop online this year (up from 12 percent and nine percent, respectively, in 2000). “Among both parents and teens, the Internet is growing as a channel for back-to-school shopping, and brand-owned web retailers recognizable from the bricks-and-mortar world are still the most popular destinations to visit first,” said John Theiss, vice president, retail industries, American Express. As it was last year, apparel will be the most common online purchase for both parents and teens, although parents are also likely to buy educational software, books, school supplies, music, electronics (such as cell phones, wireless E-mail devices and MP3 players) and computer hardware. Other popular teen online purchases include music, school supplies, educational software, cosmetics, computer hardware, electronics, laptops and books. August 9, 2001
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