Workbooks, books, backpacks, clothing: The start of the school year costs many families in Germany several hundred euros. A recent survey by the market research firm YouGov, commissioned by PAYBACK, shows that 39 percent of fathers expect to spend at least 300 euros on school supplies at the start of the school year. Among mothers, the figure is 26 percent. The desire to save is correspondingly strong: 77 percent of parents with school-age children or children about to start school compare prices, at least for certain products. Nevertheless, one in nine families makes no special effort to save money despite the high costs.
“The start of the school year is a special time for families and often a major shopping undertaking involving many individual purchases,” says Florian Wolfframm, a member of PAYBACK’s executive board. “At PAYBACK, we’re already seeing a clear increase in demand for school supplies, art supplies, calendars, and notebooks and pads. At the same time, many parents still don’t realize how easily they can save money on their purchases with PAYBACK—for example, through coupons and deals at partners such as dm-drogerie markt, Edeka, Amazon, Galeria, Netto Marken-Discount, or Thalia. Our multi-partner program combines many shopping options with just one card or app; customers can use offers and coupons both online and offline, earn points, and save.”
About half of parents (49 percent) deliberately shop for school supplies both online and in stores, depending on where prices are lower. 46 percent specifically look for special offers. The willingness to use a loyalty app in the future increases with the number of children. While 46 percent of parents with one school-aged child can imagine using such an app, that figure rises to 63 percent among parents with two school-aged children.
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