Are Parents Failing in Back-To- School Bargain Shopping?

• Only 26% of parents say they are shopping wherever the best back-to-school (BTS) promotions are offered, according to WSL/Strategic Retail’sBack-to-School 2012 How America Shopstrend report, which tracked what stores and categories parents are shopping.

“Given today’s promotion-driven retail climate, it was surprising to learn that it’s not only about finding the best deal this season,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL/Strategic Retail.“Yes, it’s about the right price—but that’s only part of the story.It’s also about seeking out a broad selection of merchandise in a convenient place, and most parents already have a clear idea of where they can find that for back-to-school.For 75% of them, that means heading to a mass merchant such as Target or Walmart.”

Where are parents shopping? Three-quarters of respondents said mass merchandisers such as Target, Walmart and Kmart.

“Health and wellness are evolving into an important focus for parents shopping back-to-school, which presents an emerging opportunity for drug stores to capitalize on the season,” continued Candace Corlett, president of WSL/Strategic Retail.“As this trend continues, look for drug store chains to see this as their opportunity to gain a greater share of b-t-s dollars, possibly pushing other channels further down the list.”

What’s In Their Basket:
84%—School supplies
76%—Clothing and fashion accessories
50%—Healthy snacks
38%—Anti-bacterial items
30%—Hair care products

The How America Shops Internet survey was conducted as a nationwide survey of men and women 18+ in June, 2012.

More info:www.wslstrategicretail.com