Back-to-School Shoppers Are Using More Tech Tools but Buying Fewer Tech Goods

Back to school doesn't mean back to tech upgrades. As inflation rises without wage growth matching it, and consumer confidence worsens, parents are going online more to find deals, even if they aren't necessarily buying new tech products, according to Deloitte's 19th Back-to-School survey.

For the fourth straight year, back-to-school shoppers will spend less per child -- $557 -- as inflation continues to rise, and 57% of parents believe the economy will get worse in the second half of the year. That's the highest percentage since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the survey said.

And that spending will be lower on tech, averaging $417, down 16% from $498 last year. Conversely, parents will spend $323 on clothing, a 22% increase over last year's $264, as clothing costs rise.

To gather its findings, Deloitte tabbed an independent research panel, which conducted an online survey of 1,207 parents with at least one child entering grades K to 12 this fall. The research was performed from May 22 to May 29, with a margin of error of plus- or minus-3 percentage points.

Less tech spending

Thanks to the AI boom that has led to "RAMageddon" -- a global memory chip supply shortage -- prices for all types of tech products are significantly higher. Laptops, phones and gaming consoles are hundreds of dollars more expensive, and that won't ease any time soon.

Accordingly, parents are holding back on tech purchases for the new school year, Deloitte found. Back-to-school shoppers will spend $81 less on tech, which the survey said includes computers and hardware, gadgets and digital subscriptions.

Gone are the days of rushing to upgrade. A CNET Group TechPulse Research Study found that 73% will keep their devices as long as they still work, and 76% won't upgrade until they think the new devices are "clearly worth it."

An online arsenal

Amid worries about the economy, parents are maximizing the internet to get the best bang for their buck. The survey found that 80% of people are using at least one internet tactic, and the more they use, the more they spend. Folks using search, social media and generative AI (like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude) will spend $737 per child this year -- $206 more than parents who are using search and social but not AI, the survey found.

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