Back-to-school shopping: How much do parents shop and what do they buy?

Key findings:

• 48% of parents with child(ren) in full-time education spend more than £100 on back-to-school shopping, highlighting the significant cost of preparing for the new school year.
• 78% of parents buy school uniforms, making them the most commonly purchased back-to-school item, closely followed by shoes (77%). 
• 70% consider price when choosing where to shop, while a similar share (68%) consider product quality. 
• 62% say they usually follow school instructions when shopping, suggesting purchases are largely driven by practical school requirements.

As families prepare their children for the new school year, YouGov Profiles data reveals how parents and guardians approach back-to-school shopping, from when and where they buy – to the factors shaping their choices and budgets.

Among parents or guardians of children under 16 in full-time education, 44% say they purchase most items during a dedicated shopping session before the new school year begins. Nearly two-fifths (38%) instead buy items as and when they are needed throughout the school year, while 5% mostly rely on hand-me-downs from older siblings, family or friends.

Back-to-school shopping: Do parents prefer online or in-store?

Parents take a mixed approach to where they shop, with no single channel dominating back-to-school purchases.

Around a third (34%) say they split their shopping evenly between online and physical stores. Some 27% shop mostly in-store and 10% do all their shopping in-store. By comparison, 21% shop mostly online and 8% buy everything online.

What do parents look for when shopping for back-to-school items?

Wherever parents choose to shop, value and quality are their biggest considerations. Seven in ten (70%) cite price as a factor when deciding where to buy back-to-school items, closely followed by product quality (68%).

Sales and discounts rank third at 42%, while around a third consider trust in the brand or store (32%) and location or accessibility (31%).

Sustainability influences 23% of shoppers, while 16% consider reviews from other users and 13% look to recommendations from schools or other parents.

What are parents buying for back-to-school?

The items parents are most likely to purchase reflect the everyday requirements of school life. Last year, uniforms (78%) and shoes (77%) topped shopping lists, followed by stationery (58%), gym kits (55%) and bags (53%). Around a third (32%) bought lunch boxes.

A quarter purchased notebooks or notepads (25%), while 24% bought other clothing and 22% purchased books or textbooks. Electronic devices such as laptops and tablets were less common purchases, at 12%.

How much do parents spend on back-to-school shopping?

With uniforms, shoes and other essentials to purchase, back-to-school costs can quickly add up. Nearly half of parents (48%) spend more than £100, including 16% who spend £100.01-£150, 16% who spend £150.01-£200 and 16% who spend more than £200.

At lower spending levels, 13% spend £80.01-£100, 10% spend £60.01-£80 and 15% spend £40.01-£60. Smaller proportions spend £20.01-£40 (7%), £10.01-£20 (4%) or less than £10 (3%).

Back-to-school shopping appears to be largely practical and needs-driven. Around six in ten parents (62%) say they usually follow school instructions when shopping, while fewer see it as an opportunity to treat their children (22%) or prefer shopping at thrift or charity stores (11%). Overall, parents appear focused on meeting school requirements while balancing price, quality and convenience.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data through rolling surveys, rather than a single limited questionnaire. Figures are drawn from responses collected between August 2025 and August 2026, using a 52-week dataset updated weekly. Data is nationally representative of adults (18+) in Great Britain and weighted by age, gender, region, education, and social grade.

Image: Getty Images