Retail Occasions Series: UK Back to School 2024

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

THE KEY FINDINGS

• Chart of the month - Parents with more children lean on finance options to facilitate spending
• The Key Findings
• Consumers remain unwilling to splash out on back to school despite feeling better off
• Back to school uniform sales dip as consumers focus to quality over quantity
• Tesco wins out in back to school against challenging backdrop in 2024
• Trend insight - stores
• Trend insight - online

CONSUMER ATTITUDES

• Financial wellbeing
• Back to school spending
• Financial spending
• Research
• Promotions
• Schoolchildren purchased for
• Back to school spending
• Retailer selection
• Retailer ratings - grocers
• Retailer ratings - non-food retailers
• Secondhand back to school purchases
• Purchase intentions
• Purchases made in the last year
• Retailer drivers by category

UNIFORM

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer used
• Retailer selection
• Research
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Embroidery/alteration services
• Factors of importance
• Buying dynamics

SPORTSWEAR AND SPORTS EQUIPMENT

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer used
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Buying dynamics

STATIONERY

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer used
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Buying dynamics

SCHOOL ACCESSORIES

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer used
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Buying dynamics

BOOKS

• Buying dynamics
• Retailer used
• Retailer selection
• Channel usage
• Store type
• Device usage
• Fulfilment
• Buying dynamics

METHODOLOGY

• Technical details: consumer survey work

List of Tables

• Retailer ratings across key measures - grocers, 2024
• Retailer ratings across key measures - non-food retailers, 2024
• Secondhand back to school products purchased, 2024
• Products intended to purchase, 2023 & 2024
• Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for uniform, 2023 to 2024
• Products purchased - blazers & jackets, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - blazers & jackets, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - blazers & jackets, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - shirts and blouses, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - shirts and blouses, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - shirts and blouses, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - sweaters, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - sweaters, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - sweaters, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - underwear, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - underwear, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - underwear, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for sportswear 2023 to 2024
• Retailers used - sportswear, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - sportswear, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - sportswear, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - sports footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - sports footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - sports footwear, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - sports equipment, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - sports equipment, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - sports equipment, 2023 & 2024
• Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for stationery 2023 to 2024
• Products purchased - pens and pencils, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - pens and pencils, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - pens and pencils, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - stationery essentials, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - stationery essentials, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - stationery essentials, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - paper, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - paper, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - paper, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - other stationery, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - other stationery, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - other stationery, 2023 & 2024
• Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for school accessories 2023 to 2024
• Products purchased - food accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - food accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - food accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - school bag, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - school bag, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - school bag, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - hair accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - hair accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - hair accessories, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - safety accessories, 2023
• Average spend - safety accessories, 2024
• Retailers used - safety accessories, 2024
• Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for books 2023 to 2024
• Products purchased - books for lessons, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - books for lessons, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - books for lessons, 2023 & 2024
• Products purchased - revision guides, 2023 & 2024
• Average spend - revision guides, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers used - revision guides, 2023 & 2024

List of Figures

• The proportion of back to school shoppers that stated they actively cut back on spending this year compared to last, 2023 & 2024
• Financial wellbeing compared to last year, 2023 & 2024
• How consumers financed back to school spending, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school spending compared to last year, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school financing, 2023 & 2024
• Actively cutting back on back to school spending, 2023 & 2024
• Research undertaken before purchasing back to school, 2024 & change on 2023
• Influence of promotions on back to school shopping habits, 2023 & 2024
• Influence of promotions on when consumers purchase back to school products, 2023 & 2024
• The types of promotions that are appealing and have been used, 2023
• The number of schoolchildren purchased for, 2023 & 2024
• The proportion of back to school spending on each category, 2023 & 2024
• Retailers that did the best job promoting back to school, 2023 & 2024
• Secondhand items purchased, 2024
• Secondhand sportswear or sports equipment items purchased, 2024
• Reasons for purchasing secondhand items, 2024
• Reasons for not purchasing secondhand items, 2024
• Intention to purchase any more products for back to school throughout this academic year (2024/25), 2022, 2023, 2024
• School items purchased throughout the year, during the last academic year, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 & 2023-2024
• What's driving retailer selection, 2024
• Back to school 2024 uniform penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 uniform penetration
• Top 10 retailers shopped at for uniform, 2023 & 2024
• What's driving retailer selection (uniform), 2024 & change on 2023
• Research undertaken before purchasing back to school (uniform), 2024 & change on 2023
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2024 & change on 2023
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2024 & change on 2023
• Consumers using each device for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2024 & change on 2023
• Fulfilment options for uniform purchases made online, 2023 & 2024
• Requirement and use of alteration services, 2023 & 2024
• Reasons why embroidery services were not used, 2023 & 2024
• Awareness of uniform embroidery/alteration services, 2024 & change on 2023
• Factors of importance (uniform), 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 trousers dresses and skirts penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 trousers dresses and skirts penetration
• Trousers fit, length & style purchased, 2024
• Skirt length & style purchased, 2024
• Back to school 2024 shirts & blouses penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 shirts & blouses penetration
• Shirts fit purchased, 2024
• Blouses fit purchased, 2024
• Back to school 2024 underwear penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 underwear penetration
• Back to school 2024 blazers & jackets penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 blazers & jackets penetration
• Back to school 2024 sweaters penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 sweaters penetration
• Back to school 2024 footwear penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 footwear penetration
• Shoe fit purchased, 2024
• Back to school 2024 accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 accessories penetration
• Planned/impulse purchases (overall uniform), 2023 & 2024
• Planned/impulse purchases (uniform categories), 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 sportswear & sports equipment penetration (and by age of child bought for) and 2023 & 2022 penetration
• Top 10 retailers shopped at for sportswear and sports equipment 2023 & 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing sportswear and equipment (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing sportswear and equipment (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each device for purchasing sportswear & equipment (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Fulfilment options for sportswear and sports equipment purchases made online, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 sportswear penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 sportswear penetration
• Back to school 2024 sports footwear penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 sports footwear penetration
• Back to school 2024 sports equipment penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 sports equipment penetration
• Planned/impulse purchases (sportswear and sports equipment), 2023 & 2024
• Planned/impulse purchases (sportswear and sports equipment categories), 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 stationery penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 stationery penetration
• Top 10 retailers shopped at for stationery 2023 & 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each device for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Fulfilment options for stationery purchases made online, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 pens and pencils penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 pens and pencils penetration
• Back to school 2024 stationery essentials penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 stationery essentials penetration
• Back to school 2024 notebooks, diaries and organisers penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 notebooks, diaries and organisers penetration
• Back to school 2024 paper penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 paper penetration
• Back to school 2024 other stationery penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 other stationery
• Planned/impulse purchases (stationery), 2023 & 2024
• Planned/impulse purchases (stationery categories), 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 school accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 school accessories penetration
• Top 10 retailers shopped at for school accessories 2023 & 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each device for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Fulfilment options for school accessories purchases made online, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 food accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 food accessories penetration
• Back to school 2024 school bag penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 school bag penetration
• Back to school 2024 hair accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 hair accessories penetration
• Planned/impulse purchases (school accessories), 2023 & 2024
• Planned/impulse purchases (school accessories categories), 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 books (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 books penetration
• Top 10 retailers shopped at for books 2023 & 2024
• Consumers using each channel for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each store type for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Consumers using each device for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2024
• Fulfilment options for books purchases made online, 2023 & 2024
• Back to school 2024 books for lessons penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 books for lessons penetration
• Back to school 2024 revision guides penetration (and by age of child bought for), 2023 & 2022 revision guides penetration
• Planned/impulse purchases (books), 2023 & 2024
• Planned/impulse purchases (books categories), 2023 & 2024