Consumer Closeness in the

Age of Social Distancing

Week of Aug 3: Back To School

Deciding how kids will be going back to school is proving to be stressful for Canadian parents

%

Stressed/Worried ?

%

Optimistic ?

%

Anxious ?

%

Pessimistic ?

%

Relaxed ?‍♀️

* Important to note: Base includes parents of children entering pre-school all the way up to college / university (any year)

Schooling this fall will vary from student to student

Preference / Approach for School this Fall

In person only ?‍? 26% 26%
Hybrid model (part in-person, part virtual) ?‍? ? 25% 25%
Virtual (online) only ? 17% 17%
Unsure, I have not decided yet ? 32% 32%

Back to school preparations are starkly different this year; most plan to shop more online and buy less items vs. last year

Too much uncertainty is stalling back to school preparations

%

HAVE NOT done any research for back-to-school shopping

Most don't know how to prepare given the uncertainty

“We have not heard yet about the plan for return to school. We cannot prepare. Some folks are just buying supplies to cover all contingencies. We cannot afford that. So we have to wait and hope that if we need masks for example, that there are still some available.”

“We haven’t bought anything. I guess we are taking a wait and see approach. There’s still the faint possibility in the back of our minds that school will not restart“

(Click to scroll)

For some, focusing on mentally preparing their children is a priority

“I am trying to teach my kids how to wear a mask properly. I am not worried about any of the usual stuff.”

“We have constantly talked about hygiene for anyone going back to school as the first priority. We have also bought masks and gloves for everyone as well as shower after coming home and washing the clothes we were wearing outdoors.”

“He is fourth year, so not much prep is required, beyond helping him to manage his anxiety on how the process will work given covid and given the potential for renewed lockdowns.”

(Click to Scroll)

New purchases are mostly items needed to attend school virtually

“We have just started the process to set up our proper homeschool room rather than just the emergency one we had during Covid.”

“I am preparing a space in my home that I won’t get distracted in for my online classes. I will be home more often than I normally would so I don’t need as much supplies to take with me to school.”

(Click to Scroll)

Canadian parents plan to purchase less items this year and more online vs in-store

%

Plan to purchase LESS items compared to last year

Reasons for Purchasing Less Items this Year

Virtual schooling won't require a lot of new items

“I don’t know how much time my child will actually spend in school so I am only going to purchase as needed and just use what we already have at home if possible.”

“If we go with virtual learning, they won’t need new shoes, clothes, backpacks, water bottles etc.”

“Less need to purchase things because student will not be in school all the time – easier to do things electronically which doesn’t require purchases like notebooks, pens etc.”

Already have left-overs from last year

“Still have a lot left over, also the items will be used more at home and it’ll be harder to lose pens/pencils etc.”

“Most of our things from last year are still in good shape as they were only used until March so their pencil cases and such won’t need replaced.”

Financial concerns

“Just a budget issue and finding ways to do more with less.”

“Financial restraint, health conditions, risk of exposure by shopping.”

“Finances are bad, as the extra stress and close quarters living have had us eating/drinking/buying just to feel okay.”

%

plan to SHOP MORE online

%

plan to SHOP LESS online

%

plan to SHOP MORE in-store

%

plan to SHOP LESS in-store

Change in housing plans for those going to college / university, with most planning to stay at home

“She’s planning to commute for the fall semester and then move back to Uni for the winter”

“The university is not too far, my child can commute from here to school and back when needed for important things such as a meetings or lab but for the most part I would appreciate if he stayed home for his studies including for all assignments, tests and exams.”

“My son can stay home & continue his studies online. Although it lacks the insight of experienced professors. My daughter will be on campus in another city, with both online & in person labs necessary to the program.”

Consider starting your own back-to-school program with Reach3!

Back-to-School program to bring Seasonal insights to the organization across the Shopping Journey – Pre Shop, Shop & Post Shop

Chat

Connect with parents of students in Elementary, High School and/or College/University Cohorts via conversational methodologies ?

Mission

Instore and/or online missions to understand in the moment experience of Back to School Shopping ?

Live 1:1

InDepth connects to understand Students and/or Parents and their journey for Back to School ?️‍♀️

Selfies

Student photo and video selfies to bring to life emotion around shopping for Back to School ?

Catch up on past reports: Click here.

A word on our approach

This research is not just another COVID-19 survey. This study was conducted using immersive mobile messaging-based conversational exercises that capture robust quant data and emotive qual inputs in real-time from our mobile COVID-19 community members in one seamless experience. Take a look at the video to see a demo of how our technology works…

Fine Print:
Field dates 7/30-8/5, Base: n=237

Want to share this with your team?

Curious to know more?

Email dara@reach3insights.com or
use the Contact button below.

Contact

www.reach3insights.com
info@reach3insights.com // SMS: (833) 4Reach3 // Phone: (833) 4Reach3