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If the popularity of TikTok Easter candy salads—jars filled with pastel-colored Nerd Gummy Clusters and bunny-shaped Sour Patch Kids, among other things—are any indication, people are shelling out $$ to celebrate Easter this year.
Consumer spending is anticipated to hit $22.4 billion for Easter, per a survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. It’s the second highest amount since the survey began in 2007, following last year’s $24 billion. This year, consumers plan to spend an average of $177 per person.
NRF found that 81% of Americans intend to celebrate the holiday this year, the same as in 2023. Of those who don’t celebrate Easter, 55% plan to shop sales related to the holiday and spend a little over $20 per person. Most Easter shoppers plan to visit grocery stores, followed by large retailers like Walmart or Target, and online retailers such as Amazon, per a Numerator survey released this week.
Numerator found that 95% of Easter shoppers plan to purchase food (69%), candy (53%), or alcohol (14%). Overall, they’ll spend $7.3 billion on food, $3.5 billion on clothing, and $3.4 billion on gifts, per NRF.
- Gen Z consumers are twice as likely as other generations to buy alcohol for the occasion, with beer being their top choice, per Numerator. Gen Zers are also three times as likely to order takeout or delivery on Easter.
Sweet talk: The NRF expects candy spending to hit $3.1 billion. Easter is the second-most popular candy-buying holiday after Halloween, per Numerator, though a recent DoorDash survey found that 31% of Americans say Easter candy is their favorite holiday candy, beating out the 29% who favored Halloween treats and 24% who opted for Christmas confections.
According to Numerator, chocolate was the top-purchased Easter candy item in 2023, but this year, those egg-shaped chocolates might be giving shoppers sticker shock. Elevated cocoa costs resulting from severe weather in West Africa has led chocolate makers like Hershey and Mondelēz to consider price bumps in recent months.
Still, DoorDash said that Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs, followed by Cadbury Creme Eggs, both products made by Hershey in the US, are consumers’ top picks for Easter candy.