SHOPA RELEASES PHASE TWO OF BTS SURVEY

DAYTON, Ohio -- Consumers rated price and quality of merchandise as important factors in selecting a store and in purchasing their back-to-school supplies, according to a survey conducted by the School and Home Office Products Association here.

tures and other purchasing behavior, are expected to be released this month.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being very important and 1 meaning not at all important, the survey respondents rated "price" and "quality merchandise" an average of 8.4 each. "Being in stock" fell a notch below, with an average of 8.3. Other criteria were scored as follows: a "wide selection" of merchandise (8.2 rating); the level of "customer service" (7.7); and a "convenient store location" (7.7). Rounding out the list were "trusting the store's reputation" (7.6) and the "layout of the store/ease of shopping" (6.9).

With regard to the top three factors, each of these shopping influences was more important (based on rating it a 10) to women than men, and to respondents with a high school education or less households with incomes below $25,000. Indeed, these demographic groups rated just about every influence factor more important than the total sample.

There were no statistically significant differences among the various regions of the country with regard to the top factors influencing the shopping decision as based on a "10" out of "10" rating. However, "customer service" was rated more highly in the Northeast and South than in the West or Midwest, "convenient store location" was rated lower in importance in the West than elsewhere, and respondents in the Midwest rated "ease of shopping" higher than did other parts of the nation.

When going to purchase school supplies, the top factor taken into consideration was "product quality." On average, the respondents rated this 8.6 on the 10-point scale. Next in importance was that the product is "on the teachers' school list" (8.0 rating), "everyday price" (8.0) and "being on sale" (7.8). Rounding out the list of factors were "product features" (7.2), "my child wants it" (6.7), "product color or design" (6.3), and "brand name" (5.5).