(Purchase, NY; August 27,
2001; PRNewswire) According to a MasterCard.com
back-to-school survey, while many shoppers will start
buying their school gear weeks before the first bell
rings, their back-to-school shopping may not end on Labor
Day-and many won't even make it to the mall. In fact,
while forty-nine percent of the respondents say they will
start their back-to-school shopping at least three weeks
prior to school, starting early does not necessarily mean
finishing early:
-- Sixty-eight percent of parents will
make three or more shopping trips
before they are completely
finished.
-- Some savvy shoppers won't make any
trips at all, with 13 percent of
shoppers conducting all of their back
to school shopping online
this year.
The styles may have changed over the
years, but the basics remain top priority for
back-to-school shoppers. Clothes will be on 90 percent of
back-to-school shoppers' lists, while 89 percent will
purchase school supplies this year. Other categories
making the final cut include books and music (46 percent)
and electronics (20 percent).
Daughters and Cents
When it comes to dollars spent on
back-to-school shopping, 62 percent of parents say they
will spend on average more than $200 per child. However,
when it comes to daughters versus sons, 34 percent of
parents said they spend more money on their daughters
against 20 percent of parents that spend more money on
their sons.
Easy Shopping?
Although 35 percent of respondents
said there is nothing that can make their back to school
shopping experience more enjoyable, it's not bad for
everyone.
-- 35 percent described their
back-to-school shopping experience with
their children as a "carefree walk in
the park."
-- 44 percent of parents said the best
part of back-to-school shopping was
spending time with their
children.
Who Does the Shopping?
When it comes to shopping, an
overwhelming, 76 percent of households send mom to do the
back to school shopping. Only 14 percent of fathers are
involved in back-to-school shopping. However, 38 percent
of school kids shop for themselves.
About MasterCard.com
MasterCard.com offers consumers
money-saving deals year-round, including Back-To-School,
through its MasterCard Exclusives Online program. This
free program brings exclusive savings to its members,
offering special discounts on purchases made online with
one of MasterCard Exclusives Online retail partners. This
back-to-school season, members can receive deals from
bluelight.com, eddiebauer.com, ebags.com and
footaction.com.
MasterCard International has the most
comprehensive portfolio of payment brands in the world.
More than 1.7 billion MasterCard®, Cirrus® and
Maestro® logos are present on credit, charge and
debit cards in circulation today. An association
comprised of more than 20,000 member financial
institutions, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses,
both large and small, in 210 countries and territories.
MasterCard is the leader in quality and innovation,
offering a wide range of payment solutions in the virtual
and traditional worlds. MasterCard's award-winning
Priceless® advertising campaign is now seen in 81
countries and in more than 36 languages, giving the
MasterCard brand reach and scope unrivaled by any
competitor in the industry. With more than 21 million
acceptance locations, no card is accepted in more places
and by more merchants than the MasterCard Card. In 2000,
gross dollar volume exceeded US$857 billion. MasterCard
can be reached through its World Wide Web site at
http://www.mastercard.com.