Parents planning their back-to-school shopping this year will spend noticeably less on technology, with average tech spending falling to $417 per child, down 16 percent from $498 last year, according to Deloitte's 19th Back-to-School survey.
Total spending per child will reach $557, continuing a four-year trend of declining per-child budgets, the survey found. At the same time, clothing spending is rising. Parents expect to spend $323 on clothes, a 22 percent jump from $264 last year, as clothing costs increase.
The survey was conducted by an independent research panel that questioned 1,207 parents with at least one child entering grades K through 12 this fall. The research was performed between May 22 and May 29, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, as reported by CNET.
One driver of the tech pullback is a global memory chip shortage. The AI boom has led to what analysts are calling a supply crunch that has pushed up prices on laptops, phones, and gaming consoles by hundreds of dollars. The survey found that parents are responding by holding onto existing devices rather than upgrading. A CNET Group TechPulse Research Study found that 73 percent of respondents plan to keep their devices as long as they still work, and 76 percent said they will not upgrade until new devices are clearly worth it.
Economic anxiety is also a factor. Fifty-seven percent of parents surveyed said they believe the economy will get worse in the second half of 2026. That is the highest share expressing that view since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
Despite pulling back on purchases, parents are going online more to find deals. The survey found that 80 percent are using at least one internet strategy to shop, and the more digital tools they use, the more they tend to spend. Parents using search, social media, and generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are projected to spend $737 per child, which is $206 more than parents who use search and social media but not AI.
The survey found that 68 percent of parents plan to shop during promotional events run by major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Fifty-four percent said they often make unplanned purchases when triggered by discounts. The researchers classified 31 percent of survey participants as hyper-value seekers.
"The implication is clear: The more digitally engaged the shopper, the greater the spending potential," the survey's authors said.
