Back To School Sales

It's that time of year again -- back-to-school -- when parents and CE retailers alike rejoice.

According to research released by The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), 59 percent of American consumers who plan to do back-to-school shopping intend to buy a technology product, an increase of 12 percentage points over last year.

CTA estimates $18.5 billion will be spent this year on back-to-school tech products/accessories in 2016, a 6.2 percent increase over last year.

Here are the top 10 back-to-school tech products consumers plan to buy this year:

1. Portable memory (71 percent)

2. Basic calculator (55 percent)

3. Headphones (52 percent)

4. Scientific/graphing calculator (51 percent)

5. Carrying or protective case (48 percent)

6. Laptop (44 percent)

7. Software for computer (39 percent)

8. External hard drive (23 percent)

9. Tablet (22 percent)

10. Product subscription service (22 percent)