While the summer holidays have only just started, many parents are taking that as the perfect excuse to start back-to-school shopping already – and are using their mobiles phones to do it!

A new consumer survey by Deloitte revealed that 29% of those who took part said that they will be using their phones when shopping for back-to-school gear this year. Top activities that they plan to use their mobiles for include:

• Locating pricing information. Shoppers intend to use their phone to check on prices when doing their shopping. This is likely to include the use of apps that help shoppers find the lowest priced items in other nearby stores using barcode scanning technology. Although the majority of those surveyed have indicated that they are less concerned about the economy when shopping this year as compared to last year, there’s still no reason to not save as much money as possible – after all, you’ve still got to keep the kids entertained until September!
• Getting information on discounts. Speaking of saving pennies, shoppers said that they plan to use their mobile phones to obtain information about deals and discounts while they’re hitting the high street. Some of them even intend to use their phones to look for coupons.
• Checking out ads. One out of every three consumers who intend to use a mobile phone for back-to-school shopping this year is planning to check out retailer’s ads on their phone. This can help them decide what to purchase, where to get it from and how to find the best deal.

Consumers have also indicated an increased interest in using social networking to help with their school shopping this year. These sites can be used to read reviews, gain information about products, scan updated deals, etc. And of course, you can do all that from your phone as well!