UK retail spending on Easter is forecast to grow by 9% in 2022, to deliver a market size £1.3bn.
Sales of Easter eggs and cards, as well as food and drinks to have on Easter Sunday, are all due to benefit from greater spending. The biggest growth category, however, is ‘Easter experiences and days out’, where we estimate growth of 92% – in large part this is due to the complete lifting of COVID restrictions.
Of course inflation has contributed to growing sales, but overall we see demand rising as increasingly cash-strapped shoppers shift their treat spending from the day-to-day towards events, especially time together with friends and family. This is a trend we saw on Mother’s Day and one expect to see continue throughout the rest of the year.
In the research we also see how rising prices are encouraging more savvy shopping behaviours. 75% of shoppers claim they know where they can buy the best value Easter eggs, while nearly half of us plan to visit a discount supermarket to buy food and drinks for the Easter weekend.
80% of those planning to celebrate Easter expect to buy an egg and around a third are planning to buy a meal to cook at home.
While more shoppers are turning to social media channels for inspiration for Easter, supermarkets remain the go-to place for Easter celebration ideas and purchasing. 68% of Easter shoppers will turn to a supermarket for ideas and inspiration, 23% will use Google and 20% say they will search their Facebook feed.