Back to school means back to the web for a growing number of parents

More parents will shop online for back-to-school items this year, according to an annual National Retail Federation survey, especially younger and more affluent parents, residents of the Northeast and those whose kids wear uniforms to school.

Overall, 21.4% of parents say they plan to buy their kids’ school outfits and supplies online this year, up 40.8% from 15.2% in last year’s survey. That includes 24.3% of dads and 18.7% of moms, and 15.4% of those with family incomes below $50,000 and 27.7% of above-$50,000 households.

Younger parents are more likely to buy online. 36.1% of parents 18 to 24 years old say they will shop on the web and 27.0% of those in the 25-34 category, going down to 13.7% in the 55-64 range and 13.9% of parents over 65.

Parents in the Northeast are the most avid online shoppers, at 31.1%. That compares with 18.3% of those in the Midwest, 19.7% in the South and 19.4% in the West. Among parents whose children wear uniforms to school, 24.4% say they plan to shop online, up from 21.4% last year.

Overall, the average family with children plans to spend $563.49 to get ready for the new school year, up 6.9% from $527.08 last year. 95.4% say they will buy clothing and accessories, but spending in that category will be flat at an average of $231.80, just 1.6% higher than $228.14 last year.

However, parents plan to spend 13.0% more this year on electronics and computer-related equipment, $129.24 versus $114.38 last year. “Electronics have evolved from luxuries to necessities, not only for college students but also for their younger siblings,” says Tracy Mullin, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, a trade association of retailers. Spending on shoes will increase 10.3% this year to $108.42 and on school supplies 9% to $94.02.

The results are based on an online survey July 3-10 of 8,290 adults by BIGresearch.