[July 25, 2016]

2016 Back-to-School Shoppers are Preoccupied with Savings, Value and Rewards during the Second-Busiest Retail Season

Back-to-school shoppers plan to spend less in 2016 than they did in 2015, and they're eager for retailers to offer back-to-school sales and promotions, great value, and robust rewards programs to help them maximize their savings during the second-busiest shopping season of the year.

In a June 2016 Excentus survey of more than 1,100 Fuel Rewards® program members, nearly 85% of back-to-school shoppers say they plan to spend up to $300 per person this summer on clothing, shoes, learning supplies and electronics. That's $75 less than the $375 average spend identified by Deloitte during the 2015 back-to-school season. About 84% of consumers say they plan to shop during July and August, and most say they'll return to those same retailers a few months later to do their 2016 holiday shopping.

Where they shop will be influenced by three key factors:

• back-to-school sales and promotions (71%)
• best product value (66% best quality for the price, 61% lowest advertised price)
• loyalty programs that help them earn (42%) and use (36%) rewards for their must-have purchases

Two-thirds of respondents (66%) say membership in a loyalty program is "very" or "somewhat" influential in deciding where to shop - a finding that reinforces the importance of customer frequency and activity with their favorite brands in building overall loyalty and advocacy. Both are key goals as retailers prepare for the lucrative holiday shopping season. Excentus surveyed 1,158 Fuel Rewards® program members for insights into how shoppers' habits, plans and preferences can influence retailers' and merchants' strategies during 2016.

The full report, "The 2016 Back-to-School Report Card - Insights for Retailers this Shopping Season," is available for download. Back-to-school shopping generated nearly $68 billion in 2015 sales, according to Mintel, and it ranks as the second-busiest shopping season of the year, behind the annual holiday shopping season ($626 billion in 2015).

"For retailers, these findings reinforce the dual impact of targeted marketing strategies and robust rewards programs for customers during the lucrative back-to-school shopping season," said Megan Flynn, Executive Vice President of Program Development, Brand and Communications for Excentus, which operates the Fuel Rewards® program. "A loyalty program can be a key factor for influencing where and how frequently customers shop now, during other peak shopping seasons and especially during non-peak seasons. Building everyday rewards value into consumers' shopping routines during peak shopping seasons while they are paying close attention to costs and spending, not only brings more customers through the door, it also builds brand value and loyalty."

Excentus' Back-to-School survey also found:

• Most common items on shopping lists are clothing and learning supplies (tie, 90%), followed by shoes (82%), supplies for children's classrooms (63%), and computers/electronics (36%)
• 83% of consumers will shop in brick-and-mortar stores, 15% will shop online and 2% from a mobile app
• 23% of 2016 shoppers will spend less than $100; 37% between $101-$200; 24% between $201-$300; 8% between $301-$400; 4% between $401-$500; and 4% more than $500.
• Shoppers' preferred retailers are 85% mass merchandisers, 58% brand-name chain retailers, 42% office supply stores, 36% online sites, 19% drug stores, and 15% grocery stores.
• 59% do most of their shopping in 2-3 trips, 17% in 4-5 trips, 16% in a single trip, and 8% more than 5 trips.
• 43% shop in August, 41% shop in July, 8% are last-minute shoppers who wait till late August/early September, and another 8% have finished their shopping by July.
• 66% of shopping is done by parents, 32% describe it as a "group effort," and 2% of children do the shopping.

The report is available for download here. For more information on the back-to-school data or to arrange an interview with Megan Flynn, please contact Vanessa Horwell at [email protected] (305.749.5342, x232) or Patricia Nunez at [email protected] (305.749-5342, x233).

About the Fuel Rewards program, owned and operated by Excentus

At Excentus, we create programs that help lower the cost of everyday life. Whether through direct-to-consumer programs like the Fuel Rewards® and fuelperks! programs, or through companies utilizing our Centego products and services, Excentus' proprietary software engine helps numerous loyalty and marketing programs drive down the cost of everyday commodities like gasoline. In fact, since 2012, Excentus has helped consumers and small businesses across America save over $750 million at the pump. Creating real savings that positively affect the everyday lives of real people - that's what Excentus is all about. Founded in 1996 in Dallas, TX, Excentus is a privately held company with more than 200 employees. For more information visit www.excentus.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160725005816/en/

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