The Ypulse Report — What’s In Your Backpack?
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
For the most part, students’ bags are their only resource for the day when they leave home, and they pack them to make sure they’ll have all the items they need, from school supplies and technology to entertainment and personal care items. While most students carry the same school bag every day — most commonly a traditional backpack — girls like to mix it up a bit, matching their bags to their outfits.
Pencils, pens, and notepads are the most common items found in students’ bags. They also say they’re the most important. Yes, it turns out that the pen is also mightier than the laptop, particularly among high schoolers. Outside technology isn’t often welcomed in the classroom, and as a result, few students carry laptops to school. The Apple logo is emblazoned on most students’ tech devices, from computers to MP3 players to headphones. But not cell phones. While students may want to own an iPhone, for many, the price tag puts it beyond their means; the brand of cell phone students carry most is Samsung.
This Ypulse Report takes a deep dive into the textbook marketplace. In a detailed analysis of decision-making patterns, purchase channels and attitudes towards the shopping experience, we see today’s college students as an informed and subsequently frustrated breed of typical Gen Y consumers. Anxiously awaiting a cost-effective revolutionary overhaul on par with the used book explosion (a habit of more than four out of five students), Millennials are slowly, but surely starting to consider the new wave of alternatives. In the physical realm, textbook rentals are a small but growing acquisition method, currently practiced by one in ten students with Chegg.com at the front of a small, but rapidly growing pack. As for the digital frontier, as we’ve made so clear on Ypulse, the writing is on the wall. Still, it bears repeating that the race is on and becoming increasingly heated with rumblings from the textbook publishers (Macmillan) and e-reader developers (Amazon, Apple) growing louder all the time.
In this edition of the Ypulse Report, we provide an in-depth look at the tools that students use to achieve academic success as well as what they plan to do after classes break for the summer. From textbook buyback to landing a summer job, Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,000 college students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape this large and influential generation of consumers. 
In this Ypulse Report we provide an in-depth look at student experiences this Spring. From Spring Break plans to summer jobs, Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,000 college students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape that shape this large and influential generation of consumers. 