Amazon gives inside look at hottest back to school products
BOONE COUNTY — The Back to School season is the second busiest time of year for Amazon and other retailers. The Christmas holiday season is the only bigger shopping season of the year.
The National Retail Federation expects parents to spend a little less in 2015 than they did in 2014. According to the NRF, parents splurged on electronics, clothes and supplies last year, and now they are trimming back. The average family with children in grades K-12 plans to spend $630.36 on electronics, apparel and other school needs, down from $669.28 last year.
But Amazon told 24-Hour News 8 it is actually seeing an uptick in sales. Tom Cook, of Amazon, said people are looking online for the best prices and the ease and convenience of quick delivery.
Experts predict about half of all parents will shop online for their kids this year, and almost all of those parents are taking advantage of some sort of free shipping deals. Prime members can get free shipping on orders from Amazon.
Technology has become a huge trend this year, in back-to-school shopping. A lot of local schools providing laptops or iPads for kids, but parents are buying them regardless. The NRF expects the average family to spend about $200 electronics for school this year.
Cook told 24-Hour News 8 the most popular back to school products are the usual supplies — like paper, pens and lunchboxes. People are also shopping for electronics, clothing and college dorm supplies.
Click here to see some of the deals Amazon is offering.