Total consumer spending on Easter is forecast to total $18.2 billion this year, just below last year’s record projection of $18.4 billion, according to the NRF. Some 81% of adults plan to celebrate Easter, on par with last year, but they’ll spend a couple of dollars less this time around ($150 on average).
To give some context to Easter as a retail event, the planned total spend of $18.2 billion is a little more than three-quarters of the projection for Mother’s Day spending last year ($23.6 billion), and is slightly below this year’s Valentine’s Day spending forecast of $19.6 billion.
The biggest retail category in terms of dollar spending will be food ($5.7 billion), per the NRF report, followed by clothing ($3.2 billion), gifts ($2.9 billion) and candy ($2.6 billion). The most common gift purchases are expected to be candy (by 89%) and food (87%).
Discount stores remain the most popular Easter shopping destinations, as almost 6 in 10 respondents plan to shop at them in preparation for the holiday. Department stores (46%) should also see a good deal of foot traffic, while more than one-quarter (28%) will make purchases online. One in 4 respondents plans to visit a specialty store, and an equal 25% will go to a small business or local store for preparations.
Interestingly enough, some consumers plan to shop on Easter itself. Some 11% of respondents reported that they’ll shop online as part of their Easter 2018 celebration plans, and a similar proportion (9%) will shop in a store.
The most common celebrations, though, will be visiting family and friends (60%) and cooking a holiday meal (58%).
About the Data: The survey was fielded March 2-14 among 7,737 US adults, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
