Back-to-School spending to show slight gains for 2008.

Along with Wal-Mart and Target, count your local elementary school as a destination for back-to-school shopping.

In a nationally representative study of mothers with school-age children by the Marketing to Moms Coalition, fully 20 percent of respondents claimed that their child’s school offers a service that allows students to buy supplies directly from the school. And whether it’s a local school or a local retailer, mothers show a strong preference for spending their back-to-school dollars in “brick-and-mortar” environments that offer one-stop shopping.

The study shows back-to-school spending overall is predicted to be modestly higher in 2008 than last year, with an 8% increase over 2007 spending levels. According to the research, back-to-school spending per household will average $484, compared to $449 last year. The survey shows increases specifically in the categories of clothing (not including
athletic shoes), electronics and school supplies.

The most popular brick-and-mortar retailers for back-to-school shopping are mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart and Target, a category that was chosen by 85% of respondents. Shoe stores came in second at 51%, and “dollar” stores came in third at 42%, ahead of office supply stores at 37%.

According to the study, a quarter of all moms plan to do more than 20% of their back-to-school shopping online. The most popular websites for
online shopper moms are Wal-Mart (31 percent of respondents), followed by Amazon at 19 percent, Target at 15 percent, Staples at 13% and Old Navy at 11%.

“Moms tend to prefer brick-and-mortar stores because they want their kids to try on clothes and pick out items they like,” said Bridget Brennan,
a founder of the Marketing to Moms Coalition, who serves as CEO of strategic consultancy Female Factor.

The study surveyed 420 mothers with at least one child aged 7-12 in the household.

To view report CLICK on link:
http://www.marketingtomomscoalition.org/research_reports.html>