Total consumer spending on St. Patrick’s Day (Sunday, March 17) will grow by 3.7% this year to slightly exceed $4.7 billion, per the National Retail Federation (NRF). According to the NRF survey, 56% of Americans will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, with 18-24-year-olds (77.3%) twice as likely as those 65 and older (38.9%) to do so. But on average, 35-44-year-olds will spend the most ($41.68) on festivities. The average American will spend $35.27 on St. Patrick’s Day this year, according to the survey, with men spending about 50% more than women ($42.12 vs. $28.79). The most popular way celebrants will mark the occasion will be by wearing green (84.2%), while about one-third will make a special dinner, slightly more than one-quarter will attend a party at a bar or restaurant, and 1 in 5 will go to a private party. To put some of the figures in context, the 3.7% growth in spending slightly outpaces the NRF’s forecast for retail spending growth this year (of 3.4%), while the total expected spend of $4.7 billion is roughly one-quarter of the predicted spend on Valentine’s Day. About the Data: The NRF 2013 St. Patrick’s Day Spending Survey, conducted by BIGinsight, was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to St. Patrick’s Day. The poll of 5,185 consumers was conducted from February 5-13, 2013. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.
US Retail Sales Forecast to Grow by 2.5-3.5% This Year
Online and non-store sales are expected to account for roughly 28-29% of total retail sales.