WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Parents in the U.S. are now spending more on computers and other accessories for their children on increased expectations of online classes due to the coronavirus pandemic, a survey by the National Retail Federation or NRF's annual back-to-class survey showed.
The July survey projected the back-to-school and college spending this year to exceed the $100 billion mark for the first time ever, as families prepare for at-home learning amid the uncertainty over schools and colleges reopening in the fall.
According to the survey update conducted by the NRF and Proper Insights & Analytics in early August, most families still do not know what supplies are required by students for school and college this year.
However, more of them now expect at least some classes to take place online than a month ago, when the original back-to-school survey was conducted.
63 percent of the consumers surveyed now expect at least some school and college classes to take place online this year, up from 55 percent in July. Of those consumers, 76 percent currently plan to make purchases specifically due to online learning, up from 72 percent in July.
While the number of consumers who plan to buy laptops is almost unchanged at 37 percent compared to 36 percent previously, the number of consumers buying accessories such as a mouse or flash drive rose to 26 percent from 21 percent.
Similarly, 23 percent of consumers now expect to buy desks or chairs to furnish home classrooms, up from 17 percent earlier.
The survey also found that 34 percent of consumers now expect to spend more than they thought in July, while 54 percent attributed the increased spending on the purchase of electronics and computer equipment.
Due to the COVID-19 uncertainty, only 41 percent of K-12 shoppers had completed their buying on average, down from 54 percent at the same time last year. Likewise, just 50 percent of college shoppers had completed their shopping, down from 52 percent each of the past two years.
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