TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2014 /CNW/ -- Seventy-eight per
cent of Canadians believe back-to-school has become increasingly
expensive and staying on budget (69 per cent) is on their minds,
according to the latest consumer trends survey from digital offers
website RetailMeNot.ca. But they aren't just spending to appease
the little ones. Fifty-eight per cent of Canadians surveyed admit
that other parents influence what they buy for back-to-school
shopping.
To help parents – and kids – get more of what they want this
year and get the most out of their back-to-school budgets,
RetailMeNot.ca has teamed up with Smart Cookies, the daily
guide to living a sweet life debt-free.
"Back-to-school shopping is getting more expensive as kids – and
parents – want the latest and greatest. Along with pressure from
other parents, 82 per cent of Canadians surveyed believe a child's
peers influence their purchasing decisions," says Angela Self, co-founder of Smart Cookies. "Yet
Canadian and American parents polled show equal devotion to
shopping mostly or completely in a physical store this season [61
and 60 per cent, respectively], and they may be missing out on
major online savings."
Despite budget woes, the majority of Canadians polled will spend
over $200 on their sons and daughters
(54 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively), but 12 percent will
actually fork over more than $400.
Other survey findings include:
- Fashion still comes first: Over half of Canadian parents
(53 per cent) will spend the most on clothes when preparing their
child for back-to-school, down from 60 per cent in 2013;
- Pinching pennies on tech: Tablets and tech toys may not
be eating into those lunch-box budgets, with just 6 per cent of
Canadian parents planning to spend the majority of their
back-to-school dollars on tech this year;
- Whatever happened to an Etch a Sketch? Seventy-four per
cent of Canadians believe parents are buying tech items like
tablets for their children at too early of an age;
- Shy Canucks: Socializing with other parents is something
14 per cent of American parents are most looking forward to, while
only 5 per cent of Canadian parents are;
- Moms save: Moms are savvy shoppers. Sixty-eight per cent
of Canadian moms said it is important to consider if they can get
an item on sale or for a discount, and 25 per cent look for
coupons;
- Dads cave: Better bring dad along – especially if a
laptop is on the wish list! Twenty-three per cent of Canadian
fathers will buy their 12- to 14-year-old a laptop, while 36 per
cent of moms will hold out until their child is at least 15.
Angela Self and Katie Dunsworth from Smart
Cookies share a few insider tips to kick-start back-to-school
savings:
- Email the teacher first: If your child's school doesn't
provide a shopping list, ask the teacher what supplies are needed.
Knowing what you need will help determine how much you have to
budget for all the items on your child's wish list;
- Know when to shop: Shop as early as possible to avoid
the risk of stores running out of your preferred items. This will
also give you time to hunt for the best deal;
- Know where to shop: Office supply stores often have the
best deals on folders and notebooks. Before checking out in store,
be sure to do a quick 30-second search on your smartphone for a
promo code at RetailMeNot.ca;
- Shop online in advance: Take the stress out of
back-to-school by shopping online in advance. Make sure to check
RetailMeNot.ca for coupon codes on free shipping or discounts on
items ordered;
- Take advantage of student discounts: Many retailers
offer student-only pricing on laptops and often attach a free gift
card to the purchase for printers, e-books or apps.
RetailMeNot.ca regularly conducts consumer behaviour surveys to
examine the buying habits of Canadians.
About the Canadian surveys:
From July 28 to July 31, 2014, and July 29 to July 31, 2013, two online surveys were
conducted among 2,514 and 500, respectively, using randomly
selected Canadian adults and Canadian parents of 5- to 18-year-old
children and who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of
error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 1.95% and +/-
4.5%, 19 times out of 20. The 2014 results have been statistically
weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in
Quebec language) census data to
ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of
Canada. Discrepancies in or
between totals are due to rounding.
About the U.S. surveys:
The surveys were conducted
between July 1 and July 8, 2014, and
May 22 and May
28, 2013, among 1,008 parents and 1,123 U.S. residents ages
18 and over, respectively, using an email invitation and an online
survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.
The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the
number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing
the results. In these particular studies, the chances are 95 in 100
that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1
and 2.9 percentage points, respectively, from the result that would
be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in
the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any
subgroups will be slightly higher.
About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's
largest marketplace for digital offers. The company
enables consumers across the globe to find hundreds of
thousands of digital offers from their favorite retailers and
brands. During the 12 months ended June 30, 2014,
RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 625 million visits to
its websites. In 2013, RetailMeNot estimates $3.5 billion in
its paid retailer sales were attributable to consumer traffic from
digital offers in its marketplace. Its mobile apps have been
downloaded over 18.5 million times. The RetailMeNot, Inc.
portfolio includes www.RetailMeNot.com, the largest digital offer
marketplace in the United States;
www.RetailMeNot.ca in Canada; www.VoucherCodes.co.uk, the
largest digital offer marketplace in the United Kingdom;
www.Deals.com in Germany; www.Actiepagina.nl, a leading
digital offer site in the Netherlands;
Bons-de-Reduction.com and www.Ma-Reduc.com, leading digital
offer sites in France; www.Poulpeo.com, a leading digital
offer site with cash back in France;
and www.Deals2Buy.com, a leading digital offer site in North
America. RetailMeNot, Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ stock
exchange under the ticker symbol "SALE." Investors interested
in learning more about the company can
visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please
contact:
Rachael Collier
Citizen Relations
416 306 6641 office
416 995 1432 mobile
rachael.collier@citizenrelations.com
Christy Rabil
RetailMeNot, Inc.
512 777 2897 office
646 554 8873 mobile
crabil@rmn.com
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SOURCE RetailMeNot, Inc.