United Kingdom (UK) Back to School, 2022 Update report forms part of the publisher's Retail Occasions series, and offers a comprehensive insight into the consumer dynamics and spending habits of UK consumers for back to school. The report analyses the major players, the main trends, and consumer attitudes.
The proportion of consumers who have spent more than last year on back to school items is up 2.1ppts on 2021. This was most likely driven by rising costs and the need to purchase essential items that children would have quickly outgrown. To account for increased spending, consumers used alternative payment methods to spread the cost, including using buy now, pay later options, which was up 5.0ppts on last year.
The proportion of consumers who have spent more than last year on back to school items is up 2.1ppts on 2021. This was most likely driven by rising costs and the need to purchase essential items that children would have quickly outgrown. To account for increased spending, consumers used alternative payment methods to spread the cost, including using buy now, pay later options, which was up 5.0ppts on last year.
Scope
- High street channel usage for uniform and school accessories purchases was down on last year, while online channel usage for uniform, sportswear & sports equipment and books was up on last year likely due to the ability to check for the best offers at multiple retailers easily.
- Tesco has remained dominant across most categories in retailer ratings for back to school, with particularly strong performances in quality and interesting products.
- Value & discount store type usage was up on last year in all categories apart from school accessories. Consumers purchasing school books at a value/discount retailer was up 7.2ppts compared to 2022, while Poundland, B&M and Home Bargains were among the winners within the stationery category as retailer usage among these players increased on last year.
Reasons to Buy
- Use our in-depth consumer insight to learn which back to school categories are shopped the most by consumers, to adapt back to school ranges to current trends.
- Understand what drives consumers to use a retailer for their purchases, such as convenience, value for money and delivery options, in order to maximise sales potential.
- Use our average spend data to understand how much consumers are prepared to pay in each back to school category and which categories consumers are most willing to invest in higher priced items.
Table of Contents
- The Key Findings
- Rising costs amid tough macroeconomic conditions account for increased back to school spend
- Tesco and ASDA lock horns in fight for top spot
- Value & discount retailers gain popularity as price is important to back to school shoppers
- 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
- Purchase intentions
- Purchases made in the last year
- 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
- Retailer ratings across key measures - grocers, 2022
- Retailer ratings across key measures - non-food retailers, 2022
- Products intended to purchase, 2021 & 2022
- Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for uniform, 2021 to 2022
- Products purchased - blazers & jackets, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - blazers & jackets, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - blazers & jackets, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - trousers, dresses and skirts, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - shirts and blouses, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - shirts and blouses, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - shirts and blouses, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - sweaters, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - sweaters, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - sweaters, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - underwear, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - underwear, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - underwear, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for sportswear 2021 to 2022
- Retailers used - sportswear, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - sportswear, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - sportswear, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - sports footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - sports footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - sports footwear, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - sports equipment, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - sports equipment, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - sports equipment, 2021 & 2022
- Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for stationery 2021 to 2022
- Products purchased - pens and pencils, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - pens and pencils, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - pens and pencils, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - stationery essentials, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - stationery essentials, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - stationery essentials, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - notebooks, diaries and organisers, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - paper, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - paper, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - paper, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - other stationery, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - other stationery, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - other stationery, 2021 & 2022
- Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for school accessories 2021 to 2022
- Products purchased - food accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - food accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - food accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - school bag, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - school bag, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - school bag, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - hair accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - hair accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - hair accessories, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - safety accessories, 2022
- Average spend - safety accessories, 2022
- Retailers used - safety accessories, 2022
- Percentage point change - top 10 retailers shopped at for books 2021 to 2022
- Products purchased - books for lessons, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - books for lessons, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - books for lessons, 2021 & 2022
- Products purchased - revision guides, 2021 & 2022
- Average spend - revision guides, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers used - revision guides, 2021 & 2022
- Fulfilment options for back to school purchases made online, 2019 to 2022
- Financial wellbeing compared to last year, 2021 & 2022
- How consumers financed back to school spending, 2021 & 2022
- Back to school spending compared to last year, 2021 & 2022
- Actively cutting back on back to school spending, 2022
- Research undertaken before purchasing back to school, 2022 & change on 2021
- Influence of promotions on back to school shopping habits, 2021 & 2022
- Influence of promotions on when consumers purchase back to school products, 2021 & 2022
- The types of promotions that are appealing and have been used, 2022
- The number of schoolchildren purchased for, 2021 & 2022
- The proportion of back to school spending on each category, 2021 & 2022
- Retailers that did the best job promoting back to school, 2021 & 2022
- Intention to purchase any more products for back to school throughout this academic year (2022/23)
- School items purchased throughout the year, during the last academic year, 2020-2021 & 2021-2022
- What's driving retailer selection (uniform), 2022, & ppt change on 2021
- Research undertaken before purchasing back to school (uniform), 2022 & change on 2021
- Consumers using each channel for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each store type for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each device for purchasing uniform (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Fulfilment options for uniform purchases made online, 2021 & 2022
- Requirement and use of alteration services, 2021 & 2022
- Reasons why embroidery services were not used, 2021 & 2022
- Awareness of uniform embroidery/alteration services, 2022
- Factors of importance (uniform), 2021 & 2022
- Top 10 retailers shopped at for uniform, 2021 & 2022
- Back to school 2022 blazers and jackets penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 blazers and jackets penetration
- Back to school 2022 trousers dresses and skirts penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 trousers dresses and skirts penetration
- Trousers fit, length & style purchased, 2022
- Skirt length & style purchased, 2022
- Back to school 2022 shirts and blouses penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 shirts and blouses penetration
- Shirts fit purchased, 2022
- Blouses fit purchased, 2022
- Back to school 2022 accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 accessories penetration
- Back to school 2022 sweaters penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 sweaters penetration
- Back to school 2022 underwear penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 underwear penetration
- Back to school 2022 footwear penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 footwear penetration
- Shoe fit purchased, 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (overall uniform), 2021 & 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (uniform categories), 2021 & 2022
- What's driving retailer selection (sportswear and sports equipment), 2022, & ppt change on 2021
- Consumers using each channel for purchasing sportswear and equipment (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each store type for purchasing sportswear and equipment (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each device for purchasing sportswear & equipment (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Fulfilment options for sportswear and sports equipment purchases made online, 2021 & 2022
- Top 10 retailers shopped at for sportswear and sports equipment 2021 & 2022
- Back to school 2022 sportswear penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 sportswear penetration
- Back to school 2022 sports footwear penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 sports footwear penetration
- Back to school 2022 sports equipment penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 sports equipment penetration
- Planned/impulse purchases (sportswear and sports equipment), 2021 & 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (sportswear and sports equipment categories), 2021 & 2022
- What's driving retailer selection (stationery), 2022, & ppt change on 2021
- Consumers using each channel for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each store type for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each device for purchasing stationery (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Fulfilment options for stationery purchases made online, 2021 & 2022
- Top 10 retailers shopped at for stationery 2021 & 2022
- Back to school 2022 pens and pencils penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 pens and pencils penetration
- Back to school 2022 stationery essentials penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 stationery essentials penetration
- Back to school 2022 notebooks, diaries and organisers penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 notebooks, diaries and organisers penetration
- Back to school 2022 paper penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 paper penetration
- Back to school 2022 other stationery penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 other stationery
- Planned/impulse purchases (stationery), 2021 & 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (stationery categories), 2021 & 2022
- What's driving retailer selection (school accessories), 2022, & ppt change on 2021
- Consumers using each channel for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each store type for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each device for purchasing school accessories (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Fulfilment options for school accessories purchases made online, 2021 & 2022
- Top 10 retailers shopped at for school accessories 2021 & 2022
- Back to school 2022 food accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 food accessories penetration
- Back to school 2022 school bag penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 school bag penetration
- Back to school 2022 hair accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 hair accessories
- Back to school safety hair accessories penetration (and by age of child bought for)
- Planned/impulse purchases (school accessories), 2021 & 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (school accessories categories), 2021 & 2022
- What's driving retailer selection (books), 2022, & ppt change on 2021
- Consumers using each channel for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each store type for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Consumers using each device for purchasing books (browsed & purchased), 2022
- Fulfilment options for books purchases made online, 2021 & 2022
- Top 10 retailers shopped at for books 2021 & 2022
- Back to school 2022 books for lessons penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 books for lessons penetration
- Back to school 2022 revision guides penetration (and by age of child bought for) & 2021 revision guides penetration
- Planned/impulse purchases (books), 2021 & 2022
- Planned/impulse purchases (books categories), 2021 & 2022
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Adidas
- Aldi
- Amazon
- Argos
- ASDA
- B&M
- Blackwells
- Boots
- Claire's Accessories
- Clarks
- Co-op
- Deichmann
- DirectSchoolwear.co.uk
- H&M
- Home Bargains
- JD Sports
- John Lewis & Partners
- Lidl
- Marks & Spencer
- Matalan
- Morrisons
- Next
- Nike
- Paperchase
- Poundland
- Primark
- Ryman
- Sainsbury's
- School Uniform Direct
- SchoolUniformShop.co.uk
- Smiggle
- Sports Direct
- Staples
- Superdrug
- Tesco
- The Book Depository
- The Works
- Uniform4Kids
- Waitrose & Partners
- Waterstones
- WH Smith
- Wilko
- Wynsors
- Yourschooluniform.com
