Back-to-School Shopping Archives - Spaces Commercial Real Estate Blog | Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Western Pennsylvania

Every month, JLL’s regional team curates the top commercial real estate industry news to keep you in-the-know. In this month’s edition, JLL spotlights back-to-school shopping trends, how foreign investors view U.S. CRE and the record-high funding for construction technology startups.

What Back-to-School Shopping Means for Big Retailers

RE Journals recently reported on how lucrative back-to-school shopping can be for big-name retailers, specifically Walmart and Target.

According to JLL data, most parents plan to spend less than $250 on back-to-school supplies this season. However, about 16% of parents plan to spend more than $500 on their children’s supplies, and these high-spenders provide a nice bottom-line boost.

Where are parents planning to spend?

By: Mary Bresnahan, Vice President with JLL and Melissa Ruther, Vice President with JLL.

It’s that time of year again: school is back in session.

Retailers have already geared up for the school year, and back-to-school (BTS) shoppers are taking full advantage of new offers. Surprisingly, most activity is happening in-store this year.

According to a new JLL survey of more than 2,000 domestic consumers, 88% planned to head to the store for their BTS shopping. Roughly 45% had no intentions of shopping online for supplies, and another 30% didn’t plan to shop online for BTS clothing.

Even though school is officially in session, BTS shoppers aren’t finished. JLL’s survey found that most consumers (65%) start to shop within a month of the first day of school.

Tweaking your strategy for the rest of the shopping season? Read on for more survey insights.

Supercenters Winning the Race

When it comes to office supplies, supercenters are the dominant choice. In fact, an overwhelming majority (98%) indicated they would stop at a supercenter like Target or Walmart. When it comes to new clothes, however, department stores were the first choice (91%), followed closely by supercenters.

The caveat? Supercenters may be leading BTS shopping, but consumers are still weighing their options. JLL’s survey found that more than 60% plan to stop at three to five superstores “most likely to compare prices.”