Easter spending could bring a $22 billion golden egg for retailers

SALT LAKE CITY — Americans could spend $22.4 billion for the Easter holiday this year, according to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

According to the NRF’s website, the group interviewed 8,372 adult consumers for its survey between March 1 and March 6.

Easter has always been good for retail, Utah Retail Merchants Association President Dave Davis told KSL NewsRadio.

“Consumers have gone out, it’s a great time for family gatherings, and obviously, we all love our Easter candy,” said Davis. “It’s becoming even more of a gift-giving holiday as well.”

The NRF survey said the average American plans to spend $177.06 on the holiday.

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Nine in 10 said they plan to spend on candy and food. By comparison, only five in 10 said they plan to spend money on clothing or decorations.

Despite the high number, the NRF estimated that this year’s spending will be a billion dollars less than Easter in 2023.

Easter spending in Utah

The survey did not break down results by state, but Davis said Utahns spend a good amount of money around the holiday.

“We tend to have larger families, there are large family gatherings that are happening around the Easter holiday, which makes for opportunities for sales in the food department,” Davis said. “We love to gather together and we love to eat together, which I think is a wonderful Utah tradition.”

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Davis said Utahns are pretty average in terms of what they buy for Easter.

A common, unsurprising item is food. Especially when there’s a large family gathering.

Clothing is another popular item.

“People always love to have that new Easter dress or that new Easter necktie that they can wear to Easter services,” Davis said.