Dads will dish out bigger bucks for back to school

-Ebates.ca research finds dads planning to spend more on back to school shopping than moms-

TORONTO, July 29, 2014 /CNW/ - This year, kids hoping to add pricier items to the back to school shopping list are better off asking dad. According to a recent poll by Ebates.ca, Canada's leading cash back shopping site, not only are Canadian dads planning to spend more on school supplies than moms ($175 versus $135 per child), but over one-third (38%) say they'll be dishing out more dough on their kids than they did last year. They're also more inclined to spend that money on electronic devices, with iPads and tablets being the top choices. Other items likely to appear in their shopping carts? The usual suspects, including pencils and erasers, clothing, and backpacks.

Despite a difference in budget, parents agree on one thing: price. It's the number one factor when considering back to school purchases and likely the reason that 80% of Canadian parents prefer to buy from retailers offering coupons, cash back opportunities and other promotions. But a simple 'sale' tag won't be enough to convince these parents that what they're eyeing is a good deal – over one-third (35%) will go the extra step to check product prices on their mobile phones before making a purchase.

"Back to school shopping can get expensive but since school supplies are necessary, opportunities for savings are attractive to parents, myself included," says Adrienne Down Coulson, general manager, Ebates.ca, and a mom of two school-aged children. "By simply signing into their Ebates.ca account and shopping online with popular back to school partner retailers like Microsoft, SHOP.CA, Hudson's Bay and Dell, parents are privy to exclusive offers and can earn cash back for items they plan to purchase anyway."

For an even greater return on their back to school budgets, Adrienne offers parents these shopping tips:

• Plan ahead: Making a list of the necessities will help guide shopping and curb impulse spending for the 17% of dads who say that making their kids happy is a top factor in choosing back to school supplies.
• Shop online: Online back to school shopping is on the rise and for good reason – it saves time and money. With Ebates.ca, there's an opportunity to take advantage of online coupons and promotion codes and earn cash back for purchases. As an added bonus, many Ebates.ca retailers offer free shipping.
• Have fun: With 82% of parents preferring to go back to school shopping with their kids, why not turn the experience into a fun math game? Challenge your kids to find a particular item for less than the projected price – if they do, they get to keep the difference.

From August 5 to 27, Ebates.ca is offering double cash back on purchases at popular back to campus and back to school stores including The Source, Lenovo, Walmart Canada and Joe Fresh.

For more information on the latest member-only deals, visit Ebates.ca and Facebook.com/EbatesCanada. Additional back to school poll results can be viewed in this infographic http://www.ebates.ca/static/back-to-school-infographic.

About the Ebates.ca survey:
Ebates Canada commissioned Ignite Research to conduct an online survey of Canadians across the country. Responses were collected from June 26 to July 3, 2014.

How Ebates.ca works:
To earn cash back when shopping online, you simply begin your online shopping at Ebates.ca, click through to one of the partner retail sites like Walmart.ca, Old Navy, or Indigo.ca, and then complete your purchase on that site. Ebates.ca then tracks your purchase and you receive a percentage of everything you buy back in cash. Then Ebates.ca sends consumers their cash back account balance in the form of a cheque, called "The Big Fat Cheque." Alternatively customers may direct their cash back towards a designated charity.

The Ebates brand supports a strong community of millions of savvy shoppers around the world. Founded in 1998, Ebates.com has paid over $100,000,000 in cash to its global members.

Image with caption: "Dads will dish out bigger bucks for back to school: Ebates.ca research finds dads planning to spend more on back to school shopping than moms. (CNW Group/Ebates.ca)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140729_C2304_PHOTO_EN_4503.jpg

SOURCE: Ebates.ca

For further information and to schedule an interview with Adrienne Down Coulson, please contact: Jessica Squibb / Carolyn Abbass, 416-203-2223, [email protected] / [email protected]