Consumers are expected to spend nearly $150 per person this Easter holiday, but not all of that spending will be made on the traditional Easter gifts; such as candy and flowers.
Data from the annual Easter Spending Survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) has revealed that Americans anticipate spending more than ever before on Easter this year. The survey, which was conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, projects that holiday spending will reach $17.3 billion this Easter.
Those celebrating plan to spend an average of $146 per person, according to the survey. That’s the highest level in the 13 years the survey has been conducted and up significantly over last year’s $140.62 per person and $16.4 billion total.
“Retailers are beginning one of their busiest times of year and are more than ready as consumers shop for spring essentials,” NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Shoppers will find promotions on a number of items on their lists, from Easter baskets to sports equipment, home goods, garden tools and more.”
According to the survey, consumers will spend $5.5 billion on food, $3 billion on clothing, $2.7 billion on gifts, $2.4 billion on candy and $1.2 billion on flowers.
With shopping lists in hand, 58.4% of consumers will head to discount stores, 41.4% will go to department stores and 24.7% will shop at local small businesses. Not everyone will make it to stores: 21.4% will shop online, up from 18.8% last year. Among smartphone owners, 22.8% will research products on their devices while 14.9% will use their phones to make a purchase.
“Easter is a traditional holiday that consumers of all ages and on all budget levels celebrate with family and friends,” Prosper principal analyst Pam Goodfellow said. “Consumers have long lists of items they need to get their spring off to a good start. Smart shoppers plan to compare prices, research the items on their lists and take advantage of promotions on things like apparel and candy.”
Consumers celebrate Easter in a number or different ways: 57.8% will visit family and friends, 55.6% will cook a holiday meal, 51.3% will go to church and 15.6% will go to a restaurant. Children have plenty to look forward to after the Easter Bunny comes: 31.4% of consumers plan an Easter egg hunt and 13.9% will open gifts.
The survey of 7,264 consumers was conducted March 1-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.