Easter Sales Decline And Shift Online

April 9, 2014

Average spending per person is forecast to decline this Easter, despite pent up demand from a long cold winter.  

According to new consumer research from the National Retail Federation, fewer people will celebrate Easter this year and average spending per person will decline to $137 from $145 last year.  Total spending is expected to reach roughly $15.9 billion.  A key reason for the decline is that the number of Americans who said they plan to celebrate Easter fell to 80.3% this year compared to 83% last year.

"The winter doldrums left consumers with a lot of pent up demand, and though many Americans may take a cautious approach to spending on Easter items this year, retailers are anticipating that warmer weather will easily put consumers in the mood to buy bright clothes, holiday decorations and more," said NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.  "As one of the biggest holidays of the year, retailers are looking forward to increased customer traffic in stores and online, and will roll out promotions on everything from garden supplies and patio sets to apparel and grocery items as they help their customer prepare for the holiday."

Though fewer Americans will celebrate this year, families are still looking forward to their traditional Sunday meals.  Those who do plan to celebrate will spend the most on a grocery bill for a family dinner or Sunday brunch out; according to the survey, 85.7 percent of those celebrating will spend an average of $43.18 on a holiday meal, totaling $5 billion.

Since the holiday traditionally marks the ceremonial start to spring, 42.9 percent will purchase new spring attire, spending an average of $22.71; total spending on apparel is expected to reach $2.6 billion.  Additionally, nine in ten (89.3%) of those celebrating will stock up on Easter candy, spending a total of $2.2 billion.  Families will also spend on gifts ($2.4 billion), flowers ($1.1 billion) and decorations ($1.1 billion).

Another notable shift relates to the number of people who now indicate that smartphones and tablets will play a greater role in their Easter decision-making.  Roughly one-third of those who own tablets said they would use the device to research products and compare prices, with the behavior most pronounced in the 18-24 year old age bracket, where 44% plan to use their tablets.  A similar phenomenon was evident with smartphones, where 23.4% of overall respondents said they would use their devices to research products, while 37.1% of those 18-24 plan to do so.

Many will use their smartphones to check off their Easter shopping list.  Of those who own smartphones, nearly one in four (23.4%) will use their device to research products or compare prices.  Just 12.2 percent will make an actual purchase with their smartphone.  Nearly one in five (19.2%) tablet owners will make a purchase on their device, but most will simply research holiday gifts, apparel and other items (30.2%).

"Americans are eager to dip their toes in the fresh green grass this Easter and celebrate the day with friends and family," said Prosper Insights and Analytics director Pam Goodfellow.  "Though they are planning to trim their budgets in terms of spending on food, clothes and gifts, most will look for personal and fun items that won't break the bank in order to enjoy the day."

 Sources: National Retail Fereration and Retailing Today