On March 24, the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. released its annual survey on consumer spending for Easter.

While they expect a record total of $24.9 billion this year, what actually happens might be affected by the current war in Iran and consumers' reactions to price increases. 

Last year's record was $24 billion.  On a per-person basis, shoppers are budgeting a record high of $195.59, up from the previous record of $192.01 in 2023.

“While economic uncertainty remains on the minds of many, consumers are still focused on holiday celebrations like Easter,” NRF Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research Mark Mathews said, in a statement. “Holidays provide an important opportunity for families to reconnect and create lasting memories, even as economic conditions fluctuate.”

In line with previous years, 80% of consumers plan to celebrate Easter. Tradition (58%) is the primary inspiration for purchasing Easter‑related items, followed by sales or promotions (36%), shopping as a social activity with family and friends (30%), store displays and decorations (27%) and exclusive or seasonal products (27%).

Candy is the leading shopping category for Easter this year, with 92% of consumers planning to purchase sweets. Other top categories include food (90%), gifts (64%), decorations (53%) and clothing (51%). Across these categories, food spending is expected to reach $7.5 billion, followed by gifts ($3.9 billion), clothing ($3.7 billion), candy ($3.5 billion) and flowers ($2.2 billion).

As in past years, discount stores (55%) remain the top shopping destination, followed by department stores (42%) and online (34%).

For consumers not planning to celebrate the holiday this year, more than half (54%) still plan to take advantage of Easter‑related sales across categories such as candy, food and clothing.