The survey found that 29 percent of consumers plan to use their mobile phones to assist with back-to-school shopping. Thirty percent of that sample – or 9 percent of all consumers – stated that they planned to obtain discounts, coupons and sales information on their handhelds.

Deloitte is a brand under which professionals in independent firms worldwide collaborate to provide audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax services to clients.

Results
Deloitte commissioned the survey, which aimed to discover how consumers were approaching the back-to-school season.

The survey was conducted online by an independent research company between July 9 and 11, and polled 1,050 parents with school-aged children, grades K to 12.

Of the 29 percent of consumers who plan to use mobile for back-to-school shopping, 38 percent will use their handhelds to obtain price information.

Likewise, 33 percent of consumers with mobile intentions plan to use their devices to view retailers’ advertisements.

And, three out of 10 would use their devices to obtain discounts, coupons and sales information.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they plan to spend more this year on back-to-school shopping as compared to last year.

Meanwhile, only 17 percent plan to spend less.

In addition, 58 percent of participants plan to search only for those items on sale or which the family needs, down 12 points from last year and 32 points from two years ago.

Mobile big for back to school
A number of retailers have launched mobile initiatives to capture consumers’ attention about back-to-school sales.

For example, JCPenney has launched a multichannel campaign to target shoppers this season (see story).

And, a Sears executive recently said that mcommerce was a critical component to back-to-school sale success (see story).

Shoppers’ increasing willingness to spend on back-to-school purchases, as well as the emerging prominence of handheld technologies, means that mobile could be a valuable tool this season.

Retailers who directly engage back-to-school shoppers using mobile applications, text alerts and video content stand a good chance of winning an increased share of consumers’ back-to-school budgets, according to Deloitte.

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily, New York