Average Consumer to Spend 11% More This Easter

March 21, 2012

nrf-average-consumer-spending-easter-2007-2012-march2012.jpgThe average American is expected to spend $145.28 on items ranging from candy to clothes for this year’s Easter holiday, up 11% from last year’s $131.04, per results from a March 2012 National Retail Federation and BIGinsight survey. Despite the increase in average spend per person, almost two-thirds of respondents say they will spend the same this year as last year, although the proportion saying they will spend more rose from 11% last year to about 14% this year.

Total spending on Easter-related merchandise is expected to reach $16.75 billion, up 14.3% from $14.66 billion in 2011.

Food and Clothing Top Items

Food and clothing will account for most of the average consumer’s budget, totaling $5.1 billion in food sales and $3 billion apparel sales. The average person will spend more on each than they did last year: $44.34 on food, up 11% from $40.05 last year, and $26.11 on clothing, up 21% from $21.51 last year.

Gifts and candy will also be popular items among Easter celebrants. The average spend on gifts will be $20.57, relatively unchanged from last year’s $19.89, and totaling $2.37 billion. Right behind will be spending on candy, projected at $20.35 per consumer, up from $18.55 last year and reaching $2.35 billion. In addition, consumers will spend an average of $10.50 on flowers, $9.07 on decorations, and $7.04 on greeting cards.

Discount and Dept Stores to See Business

Discount (63.5%) and department stores (42.6%) will be the most popular shopping destinations for Easter gifts this year, though specialty stores carrying flowers, jewelry and electronic merchandise will also get their fair share of traffic (25.4%). Other Easter shopping options include online (18.7%, up from 14.8% last year), specialty clothing stores (9.7%), and through a catalog (3.8%).

Elderly to Spend the Least

The survey also found that Easter’s biggest spenders will be 35-to-44-year-olds ($183.21, 32% more than $138.55 last year) and 25-34-year-olds ($181.75, up 5% from $173.41 last year). Those 65 and over are projected to spend the least, at $91.68, followed by 55-64-year-olds, at $119.72.

Men are also expected to spend almost 26% more than women ($162.26 vs. $129.28).

1 in 4 Tablet Owners to Make Purchase

nrf-mobile-easter-purchase-decisions-march2012.jpgMeanwhile, tablet owners are more likely than smartphone owners to use their devices for shopping-related activities this Easter (52.3% vs. 43.3%). In fact, they are almost twice as likely to say they will purchase products on their device (25.7% vs. 13.6%). This trend has been reported earlier in a November 2011 study by Jumptap, in partnership with comScore. According to those survey results, 63% of tablet owners reported having made a purchase using their device, compared to just 31% of smartphone owners.

Data from the “NRF 2012 Easter Consumer Spending Survey” indicates that tablet owners are also 34.6% more likely than smartphone owners to say they will research products and compare prices using their device (36.6% vs. 27.2%). There is slightly more agreement between tablet and smartphone owners when it comes to looking up retailer information (26.3% vs. 21%) and using applications to research or purchase products (15.3% vs. 12.2%), and they are in virtual agreement about their plans to redeem coupons (17.9% vs. 16%).

Overall, 46% of respondents said they own a smartphone, and 19.8% reported owning a tablet. 52.4% said they one at least one.

About the Data: The NRF 2012 Easter Consumer spending survey, conducted for NRF by BIGinsight, was conducted from March 6-13, 2012, and polled 9,242 consumers.

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