Consumers to spend less on clothing for Easter

15 Mar '08

2 min read

Apart from those who have reached their 95th birthday, Americans have never celebrated Easter as early as they will this year. With Easter falling on March 23, the earliest Easter since 1913, consumers will be welcoming the first tastes of spring while planning for the holiday.

According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Easter Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, consumers are expected to spend a total of $14.44 billion on Easter food, apparel, gifts, flowers, decorations and candy. The average consumer will shell out $135.03 on the holiday, similar to last year's expected $135.07.

This year, 79.0 percent of consumers will hit the stores to stock up on marshmallow-shaped chicks, Easter baskets, plastic bunnies, flimsy hats and chocolate-covered eggs. Of those celebrating, the majority will spend the most on Easter meals ($41.09 on average). Consumers will also dish out an average of $23.82 for apparel, $21.42 for gifts, $18.12 on candy, $9.11 on flowers and $7.21 on decorations.

“Easter is typically seen as the official kick-off to spring, when retailers debut new clothes and consumers are in the mood to buy for warmer weather,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. ”Although this is one of the earliest Easter holidays on record, retailers are hoping that this year will be no different.”

Discount stores will see the most Easter traffic this year (58.8%) while department stores (35.6%), specialty stores (23.6%) and specialty clothing stores (7.6%) will also benefit from shoppers.

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