PORT WASHINGTON, NY, August 31, 2000 – Ninety percent of parents of students and college students with internet access plan to do at least some back-to-school shopping and purchasing this year, according to a new study from leading marketing information provider The NPD Group, Inc. Among these consumers, more than a quarter have shopped or plan to shop on the Internet this year, the firm reported in its NPD/Media Metrix Back-To-School e-Visory report.

Twenty-eight percent of college students and 26% of parents of students who plan to shop for back-to-school said they will do so via the Internet this year, according to NPD. Approximately two-thirds of those who said they’d shop online this back-to-school season have already made an online purchase, the study reported.

E-tailers serving the market may be in for more good news as most of those who said they will buy online for back-to-school also said that they plan to purchase more via the Internet this year than last. Fifty-eight percent of parents and 55% of college students who said they will purchase online indicated that their online purchasing for back-to-school is expected to be more than that of last year.

The study reveals that college students purchasing for back-to-school online or offline expect to spend a slightly greater proportion of their back-to-school dollars online than do parents of students. College students anticipate spending 13% of their dollars online, compared to 10% for parents.

Among both online purchasing college students and parents, apparel is the most popular category for purchasing online this back-to-school season. Fifty-one percent of parents have purchased or expect to purchase apparel online. Thirty-nine percent of college students have made or will make an apparel purchase online for back-to-school.

Not surprisingly, textbooks and general school supplies will also be found in many online shopping baskets. Among parents who are purchasing online for back-to-school, 20% will purchase textbooks online, and 32% are expected to buy general educational supplies. Thirty-eight percent of college students who are purchasing online for back-to-school will purchase textbooks online, and 27% will purchase general school supplies via the Internet.

"We find it very interesting that our study has shown textbooks to be almost as prevalently purchased online as apparel, among college students who purchase online for back-to-school," says Carol Neithercut, vice president of NPD New Media Services. "Apparel is traditionally a large back-to-school purchasing category, and shows a solid online presence as well. For textbooks to be performing as well online as apparel for college students’ back-to-school purchases shows strength in this back-to-school season for both textbook-specific sites and general bookstore sites."

Computer-related items are also hot on back-to-school shopping lists this season for parents and college students purchasing online. NPD found that parents are purchasing computer software significantly more than college students are (23% vs. 17%), while the reverse is true for computer hardware. Twenty-four percent of college students plan to purchase computer hardware online compared to 19% of parents for back-to-school.