Irish parents seek financial support for back-to-school technology, data shows – Irish Times

Parents in Ireland are under pressure to buy electronic devices for school, with more than 25% saying they have had to seek financial help to buy them, new data reveals. became.

The survey, conducted for online technology marketplace Refurbed, found that 75% of parents said they needed electronic devices for education, and 61% were under pressure to invest in devices. This was an increase of 10 percentage points over the past two years. .

Just over a quarter of parents said they had asked for financial help to buy devices such as laptops and tablets as families juggle the effects of rising living costs. About 26% said they sought financial assistance for these purchases.

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Just under a third said purchasing educational electronics had caused them financial stress, with the majority of parents spending more than €200. Ahead of school reopening, half of parents spent between €100 and €300 on devices, down from 65% in 2021, but 49% spent more.

The growing number of companies offering remanufactured technology is penetrating this demographic, with more than two-thirds saying they would be more likely to purchase remanufactured technology for educational purposes if cost savings and warranty protection were emphasized. doing.

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Pádraig Power, Refurbed’s senior marketing manager for global operations and Ireland, said education about refurbished technology was needed to highlight the benefits to parents.

“There’s still a little bit of wariness about remanufactured technology, especially for people who haven’t bought it before,” he says. “So what they really want when testing is to make sure that they have that quality and that warranty.”

The survey initially found that 63% of parents said they wanted to buy new items, but only 27% said they preferred refurbished items. This situation reversed after information on cost savings was provided. Only 14% said they still had some level of hesitation.

“The refurbished market has brought a new level of professionalism to Ireland and people are now recognizing that,” he said. “They’ve bought before and they look at us well. And the fact that one of our founders is on the board. [refurbished technology body] Eurefas, this really helps improve the quality of your playback device. ”

More than 500 parents across the state were questioned as part of the study.

Founded in 2017 by Peter Windischhofer, Kilian Kaminski and Jürgen Riedl, Refurbed launched in Ireland in March 2021 following $17 million in Series A funding the previous year. It aimed to capitalize on growing interest in Ireland for greener and more affordable technology.