One in two parents buys school supplies online. Spending has increased to 500 lei per purchase

Over 47% of parents chose online supplies this year, and the shopping cart exceeded 500 lei for almost 58% of them, reaching even over 1,000 lei in the case of approximately 22% of families, according to a national survey conducted by Cargus on a sample of over 870 respondents from urban areas.

Over 49% of parents had to increase their budget for the new school year, amid price increases and the VAT increase, with 23% of them allocating a budget over 20% higher compared to the previous year.

Although Romanians are increasingly cost-conscious in the current economic context, during the preparations for the start of the school year, parents chose quality first, with 58.4% having the main criterion of product resistance and reliability, while only 33.4% were guided exclusively by price. School supplies dominated this year’s shopping list by far (88.9%), followed by clothes and shoes (79.2%) and school bags and purses (48.6%).

In contrast, electronic products, such as laptops, tablets or printers, were purchased by only 6.6% of survey respondents.

For online shopping, parents emphasized speed and flexibility. Although they started their purchases early, at least two weeks before school starts (57.41%) or even more than a month (22%), over a quarter of those who ordered online expected delivery in 1-2 days, and 52.3% were willing to wait up to 4 days for their orders, the survey also shows. Over 68% placed at least two online orders for their children’s needs, and for delivery, about half of them chose to pick up from nearby points, while 38.2% preferred home delivery.

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At the beginning of this school year, parents reported two major sources of anxiety: last-minute shopping, mentioned by almost 30% of respondents to the Cargus survey, and the risk of teacher strikes, which was a concern for about 24% of them. These results show both the logistical pressure felt by families during the Back to School period, as well as the uncertainty generated by the educational context.

The survey was conducted in August – September 2025, on a nationally representative sample of 876 respondents from urban areas. The study analyzes the consumer behaviors and expectations of Romanians related to shopping and deliveries for the beginning of the school year, providing a relevant picture of online and offline purchasing trends.