If it feels like more kids than ever have a smartphone or tablet this back-to-school season, you’re not just imagining it.
For the first time, household spending on electronic gadgets will outpace computers and hardware during the school shopping season, according to a report from Deloitte.
Americans are expected to spend $3.6 billion on gadgets — including wearable devices and mobile data plans — as parents and students get ready for the upcoming year. That’s $800 million more than they spent last summer, marking a 29 percent increase. That compares to $3.1 billion they’ll spend on hardware like computers.
Of the about one in five shoppers who plan to purchase electronic gadgets, they’ll spend an average of $305 on those products, up 13 percent from a year ago. Spending on computers and hardware is expected to slip about 4.3 percent to an average of $286.