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Easter, apparel spend to beat last year's consumer activity

Overall this Easter holiday season bodes robust for the retail segment with a majority of consumers hitting brick-and-mortar stores and about 21 percent going the online click-to-buy route.

March 25, 2016

Millennials may be a prime focus for retailers, but when it comes to Easter spend it's the Baby Boomers who will be opening the wallet more often.

Overall this Easter holiday season bodes robust for the retail segment with a majority of consumers hitting brick-and-mortar stores and about 21 percent going the online click-to-buy route.

That's just a few predictions from the newly released International Council of Shopping Centers Easter and Spring apparel spending survey. Nearly every consumer, 91 percent, is expected to spend on Easter related goods and 90 percent will be shopping for apparel during the holiday timeframe, according to an announcement.

For Easter, Americans who plan to shop will have an average spend of $135.10 and Americans who shop for spring apparel will spend an average of $193.70.

When it comes to Easter shopping, 85 percent will spend on food/beverage gifts, with millennials spending the most on restaurants/take-out in comparison to Baby Boomers and Gen X.

"Easter and seasonal apparel shopping habits highlight consumer preference for shopping in-store," said Tom McGee, president and CEO, ICSC. "It's a trend that is consistent amongst all demographics, as consumers are making purchases for the Easter holiday and on spring apparel in stores. While the types of purchases and location of shopping may vary, the consistency with which consumers are driven to brick and mortar shops demonstrates the central role they play in the shopping experience."

While millennials will spend the most in all categories of Easter shopping, except for food and beverage gifts, Baby Boomer will spend slightly more than millennials and Generation X consumers.

With regard to mobile device use while shopping, 69 percent plan to use a device while shopping for apparel to compare pricing. Nearly half, 48 percent, say they will use the device to do research before actually shopping.

Twenty-five percent of consumers looking to buy apparel will do so online, opting to pick up items in-store.