September stirs one memory in all of us, regardless of age: the start of school. Years pass, but the return to the desks at the end of summer remains a constant. Yet as time has passed and buying habits have evolved, the way parents and students prepare for the return to the classroom has also changed.
If once the weeks leading up to the start of classes were dedicated to shopping in stationery stores or malls to retrieve all the necessary materials – backpacks, notebooks, journals, pencil cases, pens -, today shopping is done (also) online.
But let’s go in order and analyze all the data from the stationery and school supplies sector.
How much does it cost to go back to school
According to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), in 2023, the average expense each student will incur for going back to school is on the rise. In fact, it is reported to be about $890.07 per pupil from elementary to high school and up to $1,366.95 on average for each college student.
More broadly, in 2023, spending related to going back to school is expected to be the highest ever: $41.5 billion for elementary, middle and high schools and about $94 billion for college.
So it is easy to imagine that thrifty parents will be scrambling to find the best deals on school supplies. Deals that very often can be found online. Here, then, is where school shopping shifts from traditional retail outlets to eCommerce.
The most searched school articles online
According to data from Witailer, last year Internet searches of the stationery and office and school products category started as early as the early summer. Between June, July and August 2022, nearly 7 million searches were conducted. On Amazon.co.uk alone, there would have been an increase in search volume of 240 percent.
Stationery and school supplies: best sellers
Thus, the most searched products on the marketplace during the analysis period include school diaries, the timeless Eastpak backpack, pencil cases, and, finally, diaries.
All four products are among the top10 search terms overall for the analysis period (August 2022).
The advantages of buying school supplies online
The benefits for students and parents
In addition to the economic advantage – many digital retailers offer products online at discounted prices compared to the prices of a physical stationery store – and a greater variety of items – online storefronts are much richer than a traditional storefront -, playing a decisive role in the development of the online market in the stationery, stationery and school supplies segment has certainly also been the integration by educational institutions of digital learning tools (tablets and computers) that have further brought young people closer to the digital world.
Consumers-even the very young-can thus purchase the items they need for their studies directly through smartphones or PCs, thus making the purchasing process smooth and accessible.
The benefits for retailers
The advantage for retailers, moreover, is obvious: a small neighborhood or village stationery store reaches a proximity clientele, while an online store can potentially reach anyone, in whatever region they are located. This is why many physical stationers have decided to open their own eCommerce.
Suffice it to say that according to TXT-a distributor of school books-one of perhaps the best-known sites for the sale of stationery products, ufficiodiscount.it, totals nearly 54 thousand monthly visits. In other words, it is as if a stationery store made 54 thousand entries each month, 1767 people per day. Staggering numbers even for a stationery store in a big city.
Alternative deliveries for school shopping
If, therefore, more and more students and parents are choosing to buy notebooks, journals, and all school supplies online (not forgetting books; in fact, we have already talked about the online publishing marketplace as well), we cannot forget to also consider the issue of shipping and how these products get into the hands of students.
Given the characteristics of such products-generally not large and not particularly heavy-it is indeed possible to consider alternative ways of picking up online orders, such as Locker and Pickup Points, or Click & Collect.
The Benefits of Out Of Home Deliveries
These are all ways that, by the way, are also particularly advantageous for physical stationery stores, since they encourage users to go to a physical store to pick up what they have purchased online, with the possibility of a further purchase even when they are present. After all, with all the supplies there are to buy for the start of school, who doesn’t regularly forget to buy a blue ballpoint pen or rounded-tip scissors that a stationery store always has on hand.
Online order pickup at a Locker, on the other hand, provides more flexibility for consumers to choose when and where to pick up the package according to their needs. This is an attractive solution especially for those working parents who have little time to devote to preschool shopping. One orders online and picks it up (in an even sustainable manner) on the way home from work, at the nearest Locker.
But how to integrate Locker and Collection Points to one’s online store?
If you are an eCommerce manager and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to offer your customers the possibility to pick up their online orders at Lockers and Pickup Points or in Click and Collect mode, GEL Proximity offers you the right solution.
In fact, thanks to our technology, it is possible to upload and enable a physical network of stores on our map, thus merging Click & Collect pickup services in proprietary stores with those of third-party operated Proximity Points, allowing customers to purchase a wide range of products online while maintaining control over in-store delivery processes in the case of Click and Collect and also saving on shipping costs.
You can then create a customized logistical UX on your check-out by merging your store network with the more than 125,000 Pickup Points and Lockers in the GEL Proximity network already operating nationally and internationally.
Learn more about our services, or contact us for more information.
