Discover Idealo's analysis of price trends for back-to-school 2024, with the most popular product categories, their price trends and the best times to save.
Back-to-school season is fast approaching! To help students save money, Idealo, the leading price comparison service in Europe and France, has reviewed 10 of the most popular product categories for this period, and analyzed their price trends. The result is rather unexpected: many back-to-school product categories are less expensive this year.
Idealo's analysis of back-to-school prices
" Contrary to previous years, we have observed a downward trend in the prices of back-to-school equipment, enabling students to make significant savings. High-tech, household appliances and fashion products remain in high demand, making them must-haves for the back-to-school season. According to our analysis, it's the ideal time to get organized and equip yourself!explains Stéphanie van den Hende, Head of Communications at Idealo France.
The average monthly prices recorded by Idealo from July 2023 to July 2024 reveal a significant drop, particularly on the following items:
- Smartphones: -1.3% (€298.46 in July 2023 vs. €294.70 in July 2024)
- Multifunction printers: -19.4% (€1137.06 in July 2023 vs. €916.17 in July 2024)
- Espresso coffee makers : -2% (€735.51 in July 2023 vs. €720.92 in July 2024)
- Deep fryers: -9.5% (€206.32 in July 2023 vs. €186.71 in July 2024)
- Microwave ovens: -4.3% (€310.18 in July 2023 vs. €296.78 in July 2024)
However, some items have seen their prices rise, such as laptops (+2.7%), touch-screen tablets (+7.7%) and headphones (+9.8%). Despite this general increase, Idealo notes a slight drop in prices between August and September 2023 for laptops (€1,566.53 in August vs. €1,557.01 in September, a reduction of €9.52) and smartphones (€307.50 in August vs. €305.09 in September, a reduction of €2.41).
The best time to buy back-to-school equipment
Between August 1, 2020 and September 31, 2023, Idealo calculated the average monthly price of certain high-tech products and household appliances popular during the back-to-school period.
High-tech / computing / sound:
September is ideal for buying a laptop or multifunction printer, with average prices of €1,199.69 and €406.89 compared with €1,221.46 and €408.54 in August (savings of €21.77 and €1.65).
August is more favorable for the purchase of smartphones, touch tablets or headphones, with average prices of €187.19, €324.63, and €38.46, compared with €191.53, €331.40, and €39.26 in September (i.e. savings of €4.34, €6.77, and €0.79).
Small appliances :
Espresso coffee makers and microwave ovens are less expensive in August, with average prices of €489.56 and €182.50, compared with €490.10 and €183.05 in September (savings of €0.54 and €0.55).
Fryers reached their lowest price in September at €96.70, compared with €97.20 in August, a saving of €0.58.
By anticipating their purchases, students can save up to €40 on these products.
