Amazon Takes On Back-To-School Shopping Sales

Pencils, notebooks and crayons are on the shopping list for many kids as they get ready for the upcoming school year. As parents begin back-to-school shopping for school supplies, retailers are making an effort to be the place to shop for any item in any grade.

And, while retail establishments like Walmart and Target are typically included in the back-to-school shopping mix, many parents are turning to eCommerce giant Amazon.

According to findings from market research firm One Click Retail’s recent “Office Product” research report, Amazon is at the forefront of retailers for back-to-school shopping. With a 35 percent year-over-year growth in just the first two weeks of this shopping season, it appears that Amazon is on the right path to hit a projected 80 percent of sales for the early shoppers of this season.

Consumers are still shifting their shopping behaviors from the brick-and-mortar arena to the eCommerce world, made clear by the 20 percent growth Amazon experienced over the entire back-to-school shopping season last year. With this 60 percent bump, today’s parents seem to be becoming on-the-go shoppers.

One Click Retail’s research found that while Amazon’s sales of office products shot up by 25 percent, brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. only saw a 1 percent increase. Amazon can attribute its growth to increased purchases of tablets (98 percent), youth apparel (61 percent), laptop accessories (45 percent) and shoes (35 percent).

Spencer Millerberg, CEO of One Click Retail, commented on the significant increase in Amazon’s back-to-school sector and how online shopping has changed the way parents shop.

“While this early indication doesn’t necessarily predict the more sales-heavy remainder of ‘Back-to-School’ season, it does show early velocity,” said Millerberg. “It paints a picture that more parents are multitasking on Amazon during ‘back-to-school night’ for those supplies versus stopping by the store on the way home.”

Rather than dragging two or three kids out to the store among countless other families crowding the aisles, it appears today’s parents are moving into a more stress-free back-to-school shopping experience.