According to a Retail Council of Canada (RCC) consumer study on back-to-school shopping expectations this year, 34 per cent of shoppers are gearing up for Back-To-School and 85 per cent plan to maintain or increase their spending.
The report, which was released on Tuesday, said nearly three out of four consumers prefer to purchase school items in-store rather than online, reversing the trend observed during the pandemic, when only 40 per cent of purchases were made in-store.
“Back-to-school spending is expected to remain stable in 2024, with 85.7 per cent of respondents believing they will spend as much as last year – or more – on school supplies. The majority of consumers plan to spend more than $50 with the top spending items being school supplies (64 per cent) and clothing (57 per cent), followed by books (25 per cent) and electronics (20 per cent),” said the report.
“Purchasing school supplies is becoming more planned. Nearly 40 per cent of respondents plan to make their purchases two to four weeks before the start of the school year, an increase of around 10 per cent from last year. The proportion of respondents who will shop a week before the start of the new school year has shrunk to just five per cent this year: in 2023, it was over 15 per cent. Flyers and in-store displays are the main sources of inspiration that shoppers will look to for their back-to school purchases.”
The full survey can be found here: Back to School 2024 Shopping in Canada Survey – Retail Council of Canada.
Some key survey findings:
● 72.7 per cent plan to spend over $50 on Back-ToSchool shopping this year, slightly down from
73.6 per cent in 2023;
● 27.3 per cent intend to spend $50 or less, an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared to last year’s 26.4 per cent;
● 37.1 per cent plan to make their purchases two to four weeks before schools begin, up from 29.5 per cent in 2023, indicating a trend towards earlier preparation;
● Only 2.8 per cent will start shopping just a few days before school starts.
Retail is Canada’s largest private-sector employer with over 2.3 million Canadians working in the industry. This sector is a major economic contributor, generating more than $91 billion annually in wages and employee benefits. In 2023, core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) exceeded $501 billion. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members account for more than two-thirds of these core retail sales and 95 per cent of the grocery market.
