9/1/2013
College students control $404 billion in total spending, including $117 billion in discretionary purchases and $287 billion in nondiscretionary purchases, such as tuition and room and board, according to marketing agency re:fuel.
Some 36% of their discretionary spending ($42.1 billion) goes toward food, specifically to food purchased in grocery stores ($21.1 billion), in restaurants ($13.1 billion), and at convenience stores ($7.9 billion).
Students spend 10.2 hours per day on campus during the week and 6.5 hours per day on campus during weekends. Nearly half of students (45%) are enrolled in online courses, averaging two per term. Nearly eight in 10 students (79%) typically take class notes using pen and paper rather than by using technology. That said, among those that own laptops, 70% use them for research and 47% regularly employ them for classroom note taking. Among the 33% of students who own tablet devices, 37% use them for reading e-textbooks and 33% for taking notes.
Students own an average of 6.9 tech gadgets, and their most downloaded mobile app genres are entertainment/games (73%), music (67%), and social networks (64%).
Students purchase an average of 6.9 textbooks each semester, with 59% of these books in printed format.
Students spend 14.4 hours per day consuming entertainment content on multiple devices. Two in three (64%) regularly watch TV in real-time on a traditional TV set; 20% watch on computers. Students primarily watch downloaded content on their computers (43%) or tablets (28%); movies are consumed on TV (51%), computers (52%), and tablets (30%).
Nearly one in two college students (49%) uses a “second screen” while watching TV, most likely using Facebook or Twitter (63%), visiting other online sites (58%), playing games (50%), or doing school work (37%). Few students research the content they are watching (18%), check what their friends are watching (17%), or respond to online polls (7%).
Almost one in three (32%) avoid advertising on social media sites. Nearly half (49%) avoid non-opt-in ads, 38% avoid preroll ads, and 32% avoid opt-in text messages. Students are more accepting of traditional advertising tactics. Few avoid sponsored events (17%), campus newspaper ads (17%), product sampling (15%), or on-campus signage (15%).
More than three in four college students who own smartphones or tablets (75%) use their device to conduct research while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. A similar percentage (74%) went on to purchase something at the store, 38% shopped somewhere else, and 32% were influenced to purchase a different brand than the one they had been considering.
Students connect with their parents an average of 3.1 times each week, including 9.1 times via social media. Three in four students expect to graduate with some student loan debt, averaging $16,904 and taking 7.8 years to repay.
SOURCE: re:fuel, Tammy Nelson, VP Marketing & Research, 151 W. 26th St., 12th Fl., New York, NY 10001; 212-329-8317; tnelson@refuelnow.com; www.refuelnow.com.
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