Beyond Backpacks and Books: Back-to-School Spending Increases as Parents Purchase More Gadgets for the Classroom
August 07 2015 - 12:26PM
Business Wire
82% of Parents Say Children Use Technology for
Learning
Parents Also Expect to Spend an Average of $455
per Child on After-School Programs in 2015, Up 20% from 2014
With back-to-school season around the corner, parents and
students alike are gearing up to buy this year’s school supplies.
Overall, parents anticipate spending an average of $1,239 this
back-to-school season, according to the latest American Express
Spending & Savings Tracker, up 8% from 2014, and up 24% since
2011. Technology for classroom use is a significant contributor to
the added costs, with 82% saying their children use tech for
learning (vs. 77% in 2014), including the following:
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- Tablets (57% vs. 51% in 2014)
- Smartphones (29% vs. 24% in 2014)
- Smartboards (18% vs. 17% in 2014)
- eReaders (12% vs. 15% in 2014)
View/download the American Express Spending & Saving
Tracker
“Today’s parents are managing an ever-growing checklist for
back-to-school season,” said Jed Scala, Senior Vice President,
Consumer Lending at American Express. “The mass adoption of
technology has filtered down to the classroom, changing the way
kids learn and the way parents spend.”
Where Textbooks and Technology
Meet
With tech playing an increasing role in the classroom,
smartphones are notably becoming a go-to gadget, with 29% of
parents saying their children use them for learning, up 21% from
2014. Despite the increase in mobile phone use in the classroom,
parents say the average acceptable age for a cell phone remains at
12, consistent over the last two years.
While technology is expanding its role in the classroom,
textbooks still play a major role as a learning tool. In fact, 57%
of parents expect to purchase textbooks this school year, up from
51% from last year. This year, parents expect to spend an average
of $249 on these reading resources.
Parents Put the “Extra” in
Extracurricular
Activities outside the classroom also contribute to the pinch on
parents’ wallets. Parents expect to spend an average of $455 per
child on after-school programs11 in 2015, up 20% from 2014.
Although “sports” is the most popular and most expensive
after-school activity, on average, parents would rather their kids
earn straight A's (86%) than be a star athlete (14%), which is
further evidenced by the slight rise in academically oriented
extracurricular activities over last year, such as SAT/ACT/Test
prep (up 7% from 2014) and academic tutoring (up 14% from
2014).
Top extracurricular activities and average spend for each
include:
Activity Percentage
Average Spend Sports activities
60% $195 Band, choir or music
27% $152 Hobby groups
27% $110 Volunteer activities
22% $138 Art programs
18% $148
Academic courses (SAT, ACT, etc.)
16% $166
Parents are spending more on their kids’ extracurriculars, but
they may find themselves limiting their own activities as a result
of back-to-school season. Nearly three quarters of parents will
make trade-offs in order to afford back-to-school expenses; of
those, more than half of parents (53%) cut down on dining out.
About the American Express Spending & Saving
Tracker
The American Express Spending & Saving
Tracker research was completed online among a random sample of
2,127 adults, including the general U.S. population, an affluent
demographic defined by a minimum annual household income of
$100,000, parents of children of grade school children, and parents
of college students. Interviewing was conducted by Ebiquity from
July 6 - 10, 2015. The results among parents of children in
kindergarten through college have an overall margin of error of +/-
2.5 at the 95 percent level of confidence.
About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing
customers with access to products, insights and experiences that
enrich lives and build business success. Learn more
at americanexpress.com and connect with us
on facebook.com/americanexpress,
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and youtube.com/americanexpress.
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About Ebiquity, Plc.
Ebiquity are independent marketing performance specialists.
Ebiquity enables brands across the world to make better informed
decisions to improve their brand and business performance across
integrated communications channels. Learn more
at ebiquity.com.
1 87% expect to enroll their child in at least one activity
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150807005655/en/
American ExpressMedia:Jane Di Leo,
212-640-2000Jane.E.DiLeo@aexp.com
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