Five Stats on Back-to-School Shopping in 2020

Someone polled 1,200 parents and teachers to find out how they’ve handled their back-to-school shopping this year.  Here are five stats on how it’s been different . . .

1.  The hot new back-to-school item is masks.  And hand sanitizer is big too.  70% of parents say their back-to-school shopping will include some sort of PPE.  That’s WAY up from last year when it was just 2%.

2.  1 in 5 parents started shopping earlier this year.  Partly because they had more time, but also to make sure they got everything they needed in case stores ran out.

3.  Fewer parents are taking their kids shopping with them.  A lot of it’s being done online, with curbside pickup and home delivery up 550% from last year.  But when we do shop in stores, we’re less likely to bring our kids.

4.  3 in 10 teachers are updating their tech to deal with virtual learning.  Everything from new computers and routers, to smaller things like keyboards and headphones.  And they’re buying a ton of dry erase boards to hold up on Zoom calls.

5.  Some things parents are spending LESS on this year are backpacks, school clothes, new shoes, and stuff for their kids’ lockers.  We’re buying more decorations for our kids’ bedrooms though, so their Zoom backgrounds look good.

(Multivu)