According to a study by the Wildberries Research Center, parents in Uzbekistan are increasingly combining traditional school purchases with online shopping, educational services, and the acquisition of digital gadgets ahead of the new academic year.
The study showed that 86% of parents in Uzbekistan plan to purchase goods for the new academic year. Of these, 46% intend to make full preparations, while 40% plan to buy only the essentials. Furthermore, the budget per child has increased for 54% of parents compared to last year, and online shopping is becoming a more common part of preparing for September 1st.
Online Shopping Simplifies School Preparation
For most parents, Knowledge Day is associated with calm and positive feelings. About 34% expect September 1st to pass without strong emotions, and 32% associate it with joy and anticipation. However, 17% find the start of the school year stressful due to upcoming expenses, and 13% experience mild anxiety.
Over the last two or three years, school preparation has become easier for 37% of parents thanks to the ability to shop online. Another 22% noted that a wider range of products inspires the process. Nevertheless, 18% reported that preparation has become more difficult and expensive due to rising prices.
Women report more often than men that online shopping has eased school preparation: 44% of women gave this answer compared to 19% of men.
Offline Purchases Remain Popular
Despite the growth of e-commerce, parents in Uzbekistan continue to actively use traditional stores. Among parents planning to buy school supplies, 62% use regular stores, shopping centers, and bazaars, while 54% use marketplaces.
Approximately equal combinations of online and offline purchases are preferred by 28% of parents, while 22% shop predominantly online, 29% predominantly offline, 11% use only online channels, and 10% use only offline channels.
Men rely exclusively on offline purchases significantly more often than women (27% versus 5%). Additionally, 38% of men use private sellers or local classifieds, compared to 13% of women.
The main factors influencing school purchases are children's preferences, personal experience and habits, and price. Parents named the child's wishes as the main factor for 44%, personal experience and habits for 27%, and price and inflation for 19%.
When choosing a specific item, price, discounts, and special offers ranked first (31%), while 28% considered the child's tastes and preferences most important.
The average budget for school preparation is 2 million soms per child. The budget per child has increased for 54% of parents in Uzbekistan compared to the previous year; for 23% it remained unchanged, and for 5% it decreased.
31% of parents plan to spend up to 1 million soms, 61% expect to spend between 1 and 5 million soms, and 8% are ready to spend over 5 million soms.
Expenses are distributed as follows: clothing and footwear account for 33% of the budget, followed by stationery and books (27%), backpacks and accessories (18%), and gadgets and digital services, including educational ones, at 14%.
The increase in expenses is particularly noticeable among families with multiple children: the budget increased for 69% of parents with two children and 71% of parents with multiple children, compared to 44% of families with one child.
Parents Invest in Education and Digital Services
About 44% of parents plan or are considering purchasing educational gadgets for their children. Of these, 27% already plan the purchase, and 17% are still considering this step.
Smartwatches and trackers are considered the most sought-after devices (42% of parents), followed by smartphones (34%), tablets (30%), and laptops (24%). Men are more inclined to plan gadget purchases (40% versus 23% of women). Parents of high school students also show greater interest in digital devices: 33% consider buying a gadget compared to 12% of parents of younger schoolchildren.
Another 55% of parents plan or are considering educational subscriptions and tutoring services. Of these, 37% already plan to purchase them, and 18% are still considering this option.
Tutoring is the most popular choice, selected by 70% of parents in this group, followed by foreign language courses (63%), educational apps (19%), e-textbooks and learning materials (14%), and online schools (12%).
Child Safety Becomes a Separate Expense Item
About 60% of parents in Uzbekistan plan to purchase or are considering purchasing products related to their children's safety. Of these, 29% already plan the purchase, and 31% are still considering it.
The most sought-after products in this category are smartwatches with GPS trackers (48%), followed by protective phone cases with safety features (31%) and backpack trackers (22%). Men are more inclined to plan safety-related purchases (40% versus 25% of women). Among families with two children, 44% plan such purchases, compared to 21% of families with one child.
Middle school student parents are more likely to choose protective phone cases with safety features (51%) compared to 15% among parents of younger schoolchildren. Parents of younger schoolchildren are more likely to consider backpack alarms (18% versus 1% among middle school parents).
Formal School Uniform Remains the Basis of the Wardrobe
86% of parents plan to purchase school uniforms and clothing for the new academic year, and 84% plan to purchase school shoes. Strict classic uniforms remain the most popular option, chosen by 77% of parents. At the same time, 34% combine classic uniforms with casual items depending on the day of the week or school requirements, 32% choose a sporty style, and 20% prefer a relaxed casual style.
Among parents of younger schoolchildren, 84% choose classic uniforms, compared to 75% of middle school parents and 85% of high school parents.
Compliance with school requirements and comfort are the leading considerations when choosing clothing, each cited by 49% of parents. Another 41% consider fabric composition, 40% consider quality and durability, 38% consider appearance and aesthetics, and 32% consider price.
High school parents pay more attention to appearance (58%) compared to 40% among parents of younger schoolchildren. For parents of younger and middle schoolchildren, compliance with school requirements is more important (52% and 49% respectively).
Stationery, shoes, and backpacks are the main purchases. 82% of parents plan to buy stationery, 86% school uniforms and clothing, 84% shoes, 70% backpacks and bags, and 69% sportswear and footwear.
Women are more inclined to plan purchases in almost all major categories: stationery (90% versus 58%), uniforms (92% versus 67%), shoes (88% versus 72%), backpacks (78% versus 45%), and sportswear (75% versus 51%).
Among stationery, the most popular items are pens, pencils, erasers, and sharpeners (93%), along with notebooks (93%). Notebook and book covers are chosen by 83%, albums and sketchbooks by 80%, and pencil cases by 71%.
Regarding books and textbooks, workbooks and exercise collections are the most popular (79%). 56% of parents plan to buy textbooks for core subjects, 43% for skill development books, and 35% for fiction and reference literature.
September 1st: Not Just Shopping, But Also Gifts
Although 38% of parents in Uzbekistan do not plan to celebrate Knowledge Day separately, 33% intend to mark September 1st, and 29% have not yet decided.
About 34% of parents plan to give their child a gift at the beginning of the school year. The most popular options are stationery and books (33% each), followed by board and educational games (25%), money (24%), and gadgets (21%).
Gifts for relatives and acquaintances' children are less common among all buyers: 15% plan such gifts, 22% have not decided yet, and 63% do not plan to do so.
Among those who plan to give gifts to relatives' and acquaintances' children, creative and hobby items are the most popular (44%), followed by board and educational games (33%), and stationery (30%).
In summary, the study shows that school preparation in Uzbekistan combines traditional and new consumer habits. Parents continue to actively visit offline stores and bazaars, while marketplaces have become one of the main channels for preparing for the academic year. At the same time, there is growing interest in digital tools, from smartphones and smartwatches to educational services and tutoring. Practical considerations remain the main priority, as parents primarily focus on price, convenience, quality, and compliance with school requirements, but they are increasingly taking into account their children's preferences.