Back to School 2.0

Back to school used to mean new Trapper Keepers, backpacks and lunchboxes, but now it also means new Web sites, Facebook applications and online videos from retailers who want to pique the interest of the moms and teens who do the bulk of the shopping.

It’s a dizzying array of Web applications that often feature young stars and can make even the most recent college grads feel old and out of touch. But this is where teens, tweens, and even some moms are doing their research and where retailers are targeting their efforts this season.

According to data from Google Insights for Search searches for back to school clothing started earlier this year and are growing more rapidly than in previous years.

Sara Kleinberg, head of retail marketing at Google, says back to school searches are up across the board this year, but searches for “school clothes” in particular are up close to 20 percent over last year.

That’s in part because economic conditions have forced consumers to be more careful with their purchases. And because they want to be more prepared, they are spending more time researching where to get the best deals, Kleinberg says.

To be sure, searches for the term “coupon” are up 40 percent over last year; searches “buy one get one free” are up 30 percent; and “free shipping” searches are up 20 percent.

“Especially this year… search is the place [consumers are] going to research that purchase decision and get the confidence to make that purchase,” Kleinberg says.