Students are voracious consumers, many with free time and disposable income for shopping and leisure activities. They are an attractive market for local retailers as they have few expenses and freedom to devote their resources to other areas. Some argue that the average college student has more discretionary spending power than the average family of three. How Students Have Changed For middle aged retailers who remember their days as cash strapped young adults, today s college students are very different and rapidly changing. College campuses today are populated by more woman.
Students are also older.
They ll say I want the best shirt, not just a shirt. Half of four-year students own a computer and more than eight in ten access the Internet on their own or school computers. Three fourths say they ate at a fast-food restaurant in the past week and 47 percent shopped at a mall. On their own for the first time, students need all sorts of goods and services. They tend to be heavy travelers, purchasing 2.5 round trip tickets a year.