Back-to-School Spending, 2004-2013 [CHART]

Chart - Back-to-School Spending

It’s back-to-school time. Well, not for students, but for marketers and some proactive parents who are already out making purchases. Various surveys are emerging analyzing this year’s landscape, with spending forecasts all over the map. For consistency’s sake, first off, a look at the NRF’s annual survey, which finds planned spending dipping after a big jump last year. According to the study, families with school-age children plan to spend an average of $634.78 this year, down from $688.62 last year.

Total spending is expected to fall from $30.3 billion to $26.7 billion.

That $634.78 figure is a lot higher than what the ICSC came up with in its annual study, produced in association with Goldman Sachs. According to those survey results, average household spending on back-to-school items is projected to be roughly $285. About 4 in 10 consumers plan to spend more this year, compared to 17% who said they would spend less. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.