CTA Forecasts $18.5 Billion to Be Spent on Back-to-School Tech Products

Portable memory (71 percent) tops the list of tech-related products consumers plan to buy in back-to-school shopping this year, said a CTA study. About three in five Americans who have done or plan to do back-to-school shopping expect to buy tech or tech accessories, said CTA, estimating $18.5 billion will be spent this year on technology, up 6.2 percent over 2015. Additional tech-related items for back-to-school shopping: basic calculator (55 percent), headphones (52 percent), scientific/graphing calculator (51 percent), carrying case (48 percent), laptop (44 percent), computer software (39 percent), external hard drive (23 percent), tablet (22 percent) and product subscription service (22 percent). Of the 95 percent of back-to-school shoppers who plan to visit physical stores to complete their shopping, 88 percent will go to a mass-merchant store, 56 percent to an office supply store, 47 percent to a department store, 43 percent to a discount store and 36 percent to a consumer tech store, said CTA. Of the 49 percent planning to shop online, 80 percent will visit an online-only retailer’s website, 69 percent will go to a retailer’s website, 35 percent will visit an auction site, 30 percent will shop at a manufacturer’s website and 13 percent will check out a free classified ad website, said CTA.