Affected for two years by inflation and consumer concerns about their purchasing power, the school supplies sector has kicked off the back-to-school season as products begin to hit the shelves. While last year, the sector saw an increase in its turnover (+2.3% compared to the 2022 school year) to €639 million, volumes had fallen by -5.1%. An unprecedented score that reflects not only the drop in school numbers (-70,000 last year) due to the decline in the birth rate, but also the choices made by parents who have become fans of the “crossed out list”, removing from their shopping cart items from the previous year that could be reused.
Quality and longevity more important than price
According to a survey by Opinion Way for the Association of Stationery and Office Manufacturers (AIPB), while this downward trend in volumes is likely to continue, French parents do not intend to cut back on quality: it is the first selection criterion they cite, at 56%. Their second criterion is the fact that the supplies are durable (48%). The search for the lowest price is only cited by 34% of respondents.
Although they do not all look for the lowest price, French parents are nevertheless vigilant about prices: 90% say they pay close attention to the price of supplies and 46% say they want to wait for promotions to trigger their purchases. “Sensitive to these issues, half of professionals are considering offering more promotional offers and special discounts for the 2024 school year.“, specifies the AIPB in a press release.
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So many efforts that should satisfy parents who, when it comes to school supplies, always favor national brands. Thus, 86% of them trust big brands (92% when it comes to French brands). A confidence index that falls to only 54% for 1st price brands and even to 42% for Chinese brands.
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