There are 91,802 public schools and 15,959 school districts in 1999-2000. There were 47.2 million students enrolled in public schools in 1999 and another 5.9 million students enrolled in private schools. The customer is the person who influences the purchase decision. For K-12 education software, the approval to purchase generally comes from a Superintendent or the School Board. Meanwhile, teachers and media specialists play critical roles in the decision making process.
Teachers also play a significant role in the purchase of educational software for the home.
Among those who have not purchased on-line, security concerns are the primary hesitation in completing the purchase. Home PC owners continue to shop a diverse array of outlets for software. Six in ten respondents purchased a new title in the past year, splitting their purchases between computer software, PC and general merchandise stores. What this all means is that it is imperative for software publishers to think outside of normal distribution channels and continue to find ways to get products into increasingly specialized niches that may not have been thought of. Most non-buyers cite security concerns as the top reason they have not taken the plunge.