Bulldog Reporter

Easter composition with big white decorated egg, ears of Bunny and basket filled with eggs and cookies. Willow twigs and green grass. Template for greeting cards, banners, posters
Easter spending poised to boom—where’s that money being spent?
By Richard Carufel | March 28, 2018

Easter spending is expected to total $18.2 billion this year, almost on par from a record $18.4 billion in 2017 but still the second-highest level on record, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. A total of 81 percent of Americans will celebrate the holiday and spend an average of $150 per person, down from last year’s previous record of $152.

“Despite a modest drop, the Easter forecast is still very positive and nearly as high as last year’s record,” said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay, in a news release. “Consumer spending remains healthy both for this holiday and this spring, and that paints an optimistic picture for the U.S. economy in the year ahead.”

According to the survey, consumers will spend $5.7 billion on food (purchased by 87 percent of shoppers), $3.2 billion on clothing (48 percent), $2.9 billion on gifts (61 percent), $2.6 billion on candy (89 percent), $1.3 billion on flowers (39 percent), $1.1 billion on decorations (42 percent) and $780 million on greeting cards (46 percent).

Where are we shopping?

In preparation for the Easter holiday, 59 percent of consumers will shop at discount stores, 46 percent will visit department stores, 28 percent will make purchases online, 25 percent will go to a specialty store and 25 percent will go to a small business or local store. Among smartphone users, 30 percent will research products or compare prices on their devices while 19 percent will use their phones to make a purchase.

“With more than three-quarters of consumers saying they will celebrate Easter this year, the holiday continues to be a traditional staple for Americans,” said Prosper Insights EVPof Strategy Phil Rist, in the release. “We continue to see consumers across ages, genders, regions and disposable incomes participate in this holiday.”

How are we celebrating?

Consumers intend to celebrate Easter in several ways: 60 percent will visit family and friends, 58 percent will cook a holiday meal, 51 percent will go to church and 17 percent will go to a restaurant.

The Easter Bunny is also expected to have a busy holiday season—35 percent of consumers will participate in an Easter egg hunt and 16 percent will open gifts. In addition to traditional holiday events, some consumers will pursue more leisurely activities: 45 percent will watch TV, 11 percent will shop online, 9 percent will shop in a store and 8 percent will go to a movie.

The survey, which asked 7,737 consumers about their Easter plans, was conducted March 2-14 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

Richard Carufel

Richard Carufel

Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

Join the
Community

PR Success
Stories from
Global Brands

Latest Posts

Demo Ty Bulldog

Daily PR Insights & News

Bulldog Reporter

Join a growing community of 25000+ comms pros that trust Agility’s award-winning Bulldog Reporter newsletter for expert PR commentary and news.