• by Ray Schultz , August 3, 2017

Companies offering back-to-school promotions are running up against a tight deadline.

Of parents surveyed, 60% wait until August to shop, but 40% begin in July, according to a study by Digilant. However, 23% wait until the last minute to get better deals, and 20% wait until classes begin.

These findings were put together by Digilant from multiple sources for an infographic released today.

Email falls behind print and TV in back-to-school promotions, Diligent reports, quoting eMarketer.

Among all parents, 33% access promotions through email. In contrast, 75% access promotions through print circulars and flyers. And 43% find deals in TV ads, and 39% through websites.

However, email tops mobile, which is used by 8%.

At the same time, 25% use social media when making purchasing decisions, and 74% look for promotions. In addition, 61% conduct online research before buying in a store. And 46% shop exclusively online.

Digilant estimates that U.S. back-to-school sales will hit $83 billion this year. This includes all school grades from kindergarten to college.