Ask your students which of the following items they tend to purchase online:

• Books?
• Toys?
• Electronics?
• Clothing?
• Food and Beverage?

See how their answers line up with current and expected online sales trends are for each of these categories. Notice how online sales are expected to continue to gain on “bricks and mortar” sales: 

More details from the Economist:

The share of retail shopping done online jumped from 5.1% in 2011 to 8.3% last year. That figure disguises the damage e-commerce has done to specific parts of retailing (see chart 1). Two-thirds of books, music and films are now purchased online, as well as over two-fifths of office supplies and toys, according to Cowen and Company, a financial-services firm. For years retailers assumed that Americans would still prefer to buy clothes and shoes in a shop rather than from a website—consumers would surely want to feel the texture of a frock’s fabric, for example, and ensure a good fit. But a growing number of shoppers are happy to do without and shop from home. About a quarter of clothes and accessories are now bought online.

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Teach your students how to comparison shop for common purchases they will make while in college in this NGPF Activity

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.