Back-To-School Spending Goes Big — And Omni

With advancements in technology, parents are doing their homework online before making purchases online and in-store. The Vantiv Back-to-School Report — Special Edition takes a look at the latest back-to-school shopping trends and includes hot-off-the-presses insights from Google.

Twenty years ago, taking a trip to the mall or retail store for some good old-fashioned back-to-school shopping was the norm when it came to getting new outfits and supplies. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find it’s a completely different shopping experience given all the technological advancements since then.

The back-to-school shopping season may have changed, but one aspect that remains constant is how parents continually spend more and more on their kids. This year, back-to-school shoppers are predicted to spend nearly $76 billion, a 9 percent increase over 2015, according to the National Retail Federation.

While parents still make runs to the store to buy school-related items, it typically happens after spending time doing product research online or through the use of their mobile devices, according to the special report. The report examines the trends and highlights from the back-to-school shopping season.

Here’s a preview of the back-to-school analysis:

This season, parents wasted little time getting a jump start on the back-to-school shopping, as back-to-school-related Google searches spiked the week of July 11 — a full week sooner than in 2015, the internet giant reported. Last month, three out of five back-to-school searches were made using smartphones, representing a 35 percent increase over 2015.

“For back-to-school shoppers, there’s strong evidence that searching actually leads to store visits,” according to Google’s latest report on 2016’s back-to-school trends. In Aug. 2015, searches about “back to school” that were followed by a visit to a retail store within a week grew by 20 percent over the previous year, the report said.

Recently, some of the biggest names in the retail industry, including Best Buy and Target, have found success by implementing an effective omnichannel strategy. Both retailers have used mobile to entice back-to-school consumers to physical stores.

Three out of four shoppers who made local searches on their mobile device visited a store in less than a day, according to Google. Of those searches, 28 percent ended with a product being bought, Google reported.

To download the special edition, click below…