Average American Family Has More than Half of Their Back to School Shopping to Complete, According to NRF

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Though school bells in some areas of the country have already started to ring,
most parents have a lot of shopping left to get kids ready for the first day of
school. According to NRF`s latest Back-to-School/College Consumer Intentions and
Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, the average American family had
completed only 41.6 percent* of their back-to-school shopping as of August 11.
Similarly, families of college students have completed 41.0 percent of their
shopping. In addition, nearly one-third (30.5%) of families with school-aged
children (K-12) haven`t even started their shopping.

According to NRF`s annual Back-to-School and Back-to-College surveys, released
in July, total back-to-school and back-to-college spending will reach $47.50
billion this year. According to the survey, families of students in grades K-12
will spend $548.72 on school merchandise, a decline of 7.7 percent from $594.24
in 2008. Families of college students will spend $618.12, up slightly from last
year`s $599.38.

"Price is an important factor when it comes to back to school shopping, but
there are other aspects to consider," said Mike Gatti, Executive Director of the
Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, a division of NRF. "Unique and
creative marketing campaigns coupled with the right prices will be the key to
driving sales as the summer comes to a close."

Back-to-School Shoppers Focus on Price, Deals

Those who have already begun their shopping said sales or coupons have
influenced nearly half (47.8%) of purchases so far this season. And with
everything taking a back seat to price this year, shoppers are keeping their
eyes open for any and all special savings. According to the survey, 43.4 percent
of back-to-school shoppers said coupons influenced them to shop at a particular
store. Advertising inserts (42.1%), newspapers (32.2%), in-store promotions
(32.1%), word of mouth (29.9%) and direct mail (16.2%) were also strong
influencers in their decision on where to shop.

"The days of mom or dad letting children put whatever they want in the shopping
cart are over," said Pam Goodfellow, Senior Analyst, Strategic Initiatives,
BIGresearch. "Parents don`t want to send their kids to school in clothes that
don`t fit or with a calculator that doesn`t work, but they are making careful
spending decisions based on price instead of giving kids free rein to pick out
whatever they want."

The survey also found six out of ten (62.2%) American families who have shopping
left to do will head to a discount store. Additionally, 44.8 percent will check
out a department store and 31.8 percent will head to a clothing store.

When it comes to what retailers had the best back-to-school website, Wal-Mart,
Target, JCPenney, Staples, Kohl`s and Old Navy ranked among the top. One out of
five (18.5%) consumers said that the website motivated them to shop at that
retailer, while an additional 33.0 percent said the websites had no impact
because they were already planning to shop there.

More College Shoppers to Hit Stores in August

Although one-fifth (20.8%) of college shoppers say they`ve finished shopping,
there is still plenty left to be spent on new dorm furnishings, collegiate
apparel and school supplies. According to the survey, 41.9 percent of families
with students already in or planning to attend college have not even started
shopping. College shoppers are also swayed by sales and promotions, as the
average shopper said deals influenced 40.8 percent of shopping decisions.

Traditional methods of getting shoppers` attention have not changed much, but
when it comes to back-to-college promotions, most (38.8%) prefer receiving
coupons. Other favorite advertising methods include advertising inserts (31.4%),
word of mouth (31.2%), in-store promotions (23.7%), newspapers (23.2%) and
television ads (21.1%).

College students and their families ranked Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon.com,
JCPenney, Staples and Office Depot as having the best back-to-college website.
According to the survey, 14.2 percent saying the websites influenced the
decision to shop at that store and another 38.5 percent said they already were
planning to shop there.

About the Survey

NRF`s 2009 Back-to-School and Back-to-College Consumer Intentions and Actions
Surveys, conducted by BIGresearch, were designed to gauge consumer behavior and
shopping trends. The poll of 8,543 consumers was conducted from August 4-11,
2009 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer
insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes.
BIGresearch`s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the
pulse of more than 8,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique
insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association,
with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution
including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent
stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the
industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an
industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24
million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2008 sales of $4.6
trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100
state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com.

** This is the first year the NRF has conducted a second part to their annual
Back-to-School and Back-to-College surveys. As a result, comparable numbers are
not available.

Download complete survey results

NRF
Kathy Grannis, 202-783-7971
grannisk@nrf.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009