Study: Back-to-school shopping starts earlier online

NEW YORK — Although overall back-to-school shopping is starting later in 2015 than the prior year, online back-to-school shoppers are getting an earlier start than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. According to a new trend report on back-to-school shopping from Internet marketing agency PM Digital, 30% of online shoppers will start buying back-to-school items at least two months before school starts, compared to 22% of overall shoppers.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of all back-to-school shoppers plan to start at least three weeks ahead of school in 2015, but that is down from three-quarters in 2014.

Other findings include:

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  In 2014, back-to-school searches peaked the week ending Aug. 9 and then again the week ending Aug. 23.


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  Terms like “school supplies” tend to have more volume than related terms like “school shopping” and “back to school sales.”


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  YouTube viewers searching for back to school “haul” videos continue to rise as the web grows more visual, with school supplies also the leading topic.


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  Google Shopping queries are growing much more rapidly than searches generally (though they are still outnumbered by text ads). In 2014, peak-week interest was 163% higher than three years earlier.


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  Search queries for smartphones, computers, laptops and tablets during Back to School outstrips other traditional categories like clothes, backpacks, school uniforms and shoes. Smartphone searches peak just as the school year starts.