Internationally-Renowned Futurist Predicts the Future of Back-to-School in Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 27, 2014) -

Editors Note: There is a photo and a report associated with this press release.

In a recent survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Visa Canada, 52 per cent of Canadian parents with children aged 5-16 found back-to-school preparations to be stressful for them and their families, second only to the Christmas or winter holiday season. With an eye on the future, Visa also explored how tomorrow's technologies and innovations may address the challenges presented during the busy back-to-school period. Visa commissioned a report by internationally-renowned futurist Ross Dawson who identified a number of innovative technologies that may exist by 2024 to help ease the stress during this annual time period.

In his report, titled The Future of Back-to-School, Ross Dawson highlights these futuristic innovations through colourful vignettes, such as at-home scanners that measure children's clothing sizes and systems that automatically allow for purchase and delivery in a timely fashion, or family-focused and streamlined ordering of nutritious groceries, making planning for school lunches a breeze - all purchased using authentication of unique voice patterns.

Of all the innovations proposed, around two-thirds of parents are interested in technologies that: enable immediate downloading of required reading materials; provide recommendations for after school activities based on a myriad of factors; provide a spending analysis of back-to-school shopping and its impact on overall family finances; and create grocery lists that are automatically generated based on preferences and dietary restrictions and appear at your doorstep.

Parents said that stressors during the back-to-school season include spending money on new supplies and clothing (58 per cent), adapting to new sleep/home routines (48 per cent), having to go out to buy new supplies and clothing (44 per cent), helping with homework (42 per cent), arranging school lunches (39 per cent) and transportation to and from school (33 per cent).

While spending money to prepare kids for school was stressful for most parents, a majority are interested in an innovation that provides a simple but thorough visual analysis of all back-to-school spending and the impact it has on the family budget. A further 8 in 10 parents think this innovation is likely to exist in 2024.

"At Visa, we expect progress in technologies over the next decade to deliver convenient and simple solutions, many of which will be underscored by payments innovations that make everyone's lives a little easier," says Brian Weiner, Vice President, Product and Strategy at Visa Canada. "The ideas presented in this report represent the potential for technology and payments innovation to alleviate stress and give people time back to focus on what matters most to them."