It may be hard to believe but many people are already thinking about back-to-school shopping. What's interesting is a new study suggests parents are looking to their keyboard rather than their shopping cart to get back-to-school deals.

When we went to the mall we found some parents had started their shopping already, others were browsing but waiting for sales and still others who said while they may grab a few things in stores they plan to do a lot of their shopping online.

According to a July 2011 survey of online shoppers commissioned by Visa Canada, Canadian shoppers plan to spend an average of $404 combined online and in-store on back-to-school shopping between now and Labour Day.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SHOPPING

• Total Average spending: $404
• Online average spending: $240

POPULAR WEBSITES

• Online purchases on Canadian websites: 73 per cent 
• Online purchases on American websites: 27 per cent

POPULAR PURCHASES

• 48 per cent clothing
• 41 per cent school supplies
• 36 per cent computers and software
• 32 per cent footwear