Back-to-school spending will increase due to the need for medical masks and sanitizers

In addition to notebooks and backpacks, this year’s school shopping will also be complemented by personal protection items.

Coronavirus pandemic has left its mark on a wide range of human activities. Even the approach to bringing children to school has changed. A large part of the expenses will now consist not of traditional school supplies, such as stationery, backpacks, etc., but various masks, sanitizers, and napkins.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Advertising, most parents who pick up their children at school expect to spend more on personal protection items than on any other category of goods. Masks and similar topics are expected to account for about 28% of the costs, while traditional school supplies account for about 23%. In terms of spending on various gadgets, they account for about 19% of total expenses. A similar situation is observed for students – 26% for personal protection means, 21% for technology, 13% for traditional goods, and 12% for clothes.

85% of those surveyed plan to make most of their purchases online. And only 15% will make purchases exclusively in offline stores. At the same time, since the pandemic has hurt the financial situation of the vast majority of families, many parents will be less able to afford what is needed. 

The data presented in the material are obtained from surveys conducted in the United States. But it can be assumed that a similar situation will be observed in other countries around the world.

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