For many college students, the pandemic has meant long days stuck in front of a computer or a deferred year away from school. This fall, a wave of young people will move into college dorms and campus apartments—or return after a year off—and will need the key essentials and decor to match.
Yet some are putting off purchases, as they juggle a full summer schedule and weigh pandemic-related uncertainty.
On average, back-to-school and college shoppers have completed only 51% of their shopping so far, according to a follow-up survey of 8,216 consumers that the trade group fielded from Aug. 2-8.
College students and their families expect to spend an average of $1,200.32—up about 13% from a year ago, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual back-to-school spending survey. Prosper Insights & Analytics polled 7,704 consumers from July 1-8 for the survey. In total, college spending is expected to total $71 billion, up from $67.7 billion last year, according to the survey.
Most of that increase is coming from more spending on electronics and dorm furnishings, the survey found.
