Nearly Half of Mothers Stressed by Back-to-School Shopping

Back-to-school shopping used to be simple. Grab some notebooks, pencils, maybe a new backpack. Done. Not anymore. Recent research commissioned by AliExpress shows that nearly half of mothers now feel serious stress preparing their kids for the new school year.

Tech Takes Over the Shopping List

Here’s the big shift: tech gadgets make up 22% of essential purchases now, barely trailing traditional stationery at 33%. Your child’s laptop is almost as important as their pencil case.

Parents aren’t just buying basics anymore. Laptops, printer accessories, gaming gear – it’s all considered standard now. And get this: 14% of shoppers feel pressure to buy beauty products before school starts.

When Everyone Shops

August 18th is the busiest shopping week, according to 14% of parents surveyed. That’s when 25% of families do their major back-to-school buying, hunting for deals before prices jump back up.

Smart shoppers have figured this out. Nearly a quarter (23%) wait for sales before they buy anything. Why pay full price when you know the discounts are coming?

The Gender Money Gap

Here’s where it gets interesting. Men and women see this spending pressure completely differently. Only 3.5% of women think back-to-school shopping doesn’t strain the budget. But 13% of men feel that way.

The numbers tell the story: 25% of fathers say the spending doesn’t bother them, compared to just 14% of mothers.

Parents Keep Buying Anyway

Despite all the stress, families aren’t giving up. 42% of shoppers refuse to let tight budgets stop them completely. They’re just getting smarter about it.

Instead of panic-buying everything at once, parents are becoming deal hunters. They wait for sales, compare prices, and time their purchases better.

Why Everything’s More Complicated Now

The stress comes from how much longer shopping lists have gotten. It’s not just clothes and school supplies anymore.

Parents have to balance old-school needs (notebooks, pens) with new-school requirements (tablets, charging cables). It’s like shopping for two different eras at once.

What This Means for E-commerce

Smart retailers are paying attention to these patterns:

• Timing matters. Mid-August is when families are ready to spend big.
• Sell more than pencils. If you’re not stocking tech gear alongside traditional supplies, you’re missing out.
• Target mums and dads differently. They clearly feel different pressure levels about spending.
• Emphasise deals. Half these shoppers are watching every penny.

The New Reality

Shopping for school has turned into a major production. Parents juggle traditional needs with modern tech requirements while trying not to blow the family budget.

It’s a far cry from when back-to-school meant a quick trip to the store for a few basics. Today’s families face choices their parents never had to make, and the stress shows.

For retailers, August represents a huge opportunity. But success means understanding that today’s parents are dealing with pressures that didn’t exist a generation ago.

Based on an AliExpress study conducted by Censuswide among UK-based respondents between 1^st and 4^th August 2025.