Hop to it: Spending Uptick Seen for Easter

Despite all the economic uncertainty out there (and the rising cost of their ingredients), chocolate bunnies, colored eggs and other Easter-related goodies look to be popular as always this year. That’s reflected in the National Retail Federation’s 2025 spending forecast for the spring holiday, which finds consumers’ expenditures for Easter (April 20) are expected to hit  $23.6 billion this year. While that’s above last year’s $22.4 billion, it’s below the record $24 billion spent in 2023.

“As we witnessed throughout the pandemic, holidays such as Easter are especially meaningful for Americans during times of uncertainty,” said NRF VP of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “During this time of economic uncertainty, consumers are prioritizing their Easter celebrations, and retailers are ready to help them enjoy this special occasion with loved ones.”

Here are some major findings from the survey, which was conducted for the NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics:

• Like previous years, more than three-quarters of U.S. consumers (79%) plan to celebrate Easter; they are expected to spend $189.26 on average per person, or $12 more than last year.
• The most popular Easter purchasing categories include candy (92%), food (89%), gifts (65%), decorations (51%) and clothing (49%). Overall, shoppers expect to spend a total of $7.4 billion on food, $3.8 billion on gifts, $3.5 billion on clothing, $3.3 billion on candy, $1.9 billion on flowers and $1.7 billion on decorations.
• Discount stores continue to be the most popular shopping destination for Easter items, with more than half of shoppers (55%) planning to visit one. Other shopping destinations include department stores (44%), online (36%) and local small businesses (26%).

The survey, which gathered responses from  just under 8000 U.S. adult consumers about their Easter shopping plans, was conducted March 3-7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

Click here for more from the survey.