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WASHINGTON – Americans are expected to spend a record $17.3 billion on Easter-related merchandise this year, according a National Retail Federation survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.
That works out to an average of $146 for each person who plans to celebrate the holiday, which is the highest figure in Easter Spending Survey’s 13 year history. Last year the amount was $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 in a statement. “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.
When they are ready to do their Easter shopping, 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.”
The survey found that consumers plan to celebrate Easter in 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. In addition, 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 to 8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
