Why You Shouldn’t Skimp on Easter Marketing in 2024

What do you think of when Easter comes to mind? Bunnies, egg hunts, candy, and Easter marketing strategy?

That sounds about right. 

Easter has gone from a primarily religious holiday to a huge, booming celebrate-at-any-age celebration. It raked in an estimated $24 billion in total spending in 2023. Nowadays, Easter is less about religious affiliation and more about getting together with family and friends. According to Statista, 81 percent of families planned to celebrate Easter in 2023. We expect that number to be similar this year in 2024. With that said, it’s worth your while to get an Easter marketing strategy in order. That’s where we come in.

Easter Spending by the Numbers

When it comes to holiday marketing, it’s all about the numbers. As you’ve probably noticed, we at The Shelf absolutely love data. So here are some mind-blowing stats on Easter:

1. The average person spent $192.01 in 2023, up from $169.79 in 2022. That’s a pretty big hike year over year. 
2. After sitting around the $20 billion mark during the pandemic years (which is still a big chunk of change if you ask us), Easter spending went up $4 billion from 2022 to 2023.
3. The top five categories where people spend the most are candy, food, gifts, clothing, and decorations.
4. Surprisingly (at least to us) it was men, not women, who planned to spend more in each category — about $12 more to be exact.

Where Is All That Easter Spending Going?

It’s no surprise candy is the main spend during Easter since it’s given as gifts and put inside the egg hunt eggs. In case you’re not in the candy game, we also want to look at the items that have recently seen jumps in purchasing. 

In 2023, we saw a jump in decorations, going from 48 to 50 percent of spending. Flowers leapt from 41 to 43 percent. And clothing climbed from 49 to 53 percent. These may not seem like notable increases, but they do tell us where consumers will be focusing their spending for Easter going forward. 

Gone are the days when people decorated their houses — inside and out — for Christmas only. We’re now seeing home decor for Valentine’s Day, Easter, and even St. Patrick’s Day. And don’t forget, many shop during these holidays for the sales. So even if your product isn’t related to the holiday, you can always do an awesome sale that will get consumers running to your shop!

Where Do Easter Consumers Shop?

Even though online shopping is the norm for a lot of everyday items, shopping for Easter items (or holiday specialty items) is done mostly in person. The majority (54 percent) of consumers shop at discount stores. And 42 percent get their Easter goods at department stores. Still, 33 percent say they will get their Easter items online. And 22 percent want to shop small and local.

So What Are People Doing with All These Easter Goodies?

Any egg-ceptional Easter marketing strategy starts with a basic knowledge of how and why people shop for the holiday. This year, Easter celebrators plan to enjoy time with their families, give gifts, and participate in (or plan) egg hunts. Easter has always been a family-centric holiday. So it comes as no surprise that 50 percent of people who celebrate Easter claim they will be getting together with family and friends. And if we’re looking at age groups, those 18-24 years old are the most likely to celebrate Easter socially with a family and friends party.

And where there is a party, there is food! Most celebrating Easter this year, 56 percent to be exact, plan to cook a festive meal. It’s not quite Thanksgiving, but it’s close enough to focus on cooking and kitchen activities when Easter marketing.

Going to church is still pretty important for those celebrating Easter. About 43 percent of observers say that’s a must on the day. A decent portion (34 percent) of families are doing Easter egg hunts — and not just for the kids! BBQs and exchanging gifts are also popular activities on the day. Finally, 32 percent say they’re just going to stay in and watch TV. Easter is on a Sunday after all. 

How Can You Make the Most of Your Easter Marketing?

As a brand, you want to focus your marketing efforts where you know they will make the most difference. Easter is a pretty good deal in terms of ROI, with many shopping for the holiday. But you may be wondering what will resonate in 2024. So, we put together a list of Easter marketing strategy ideas that will help you plan your Easter marketing tactics. If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably looking for some Easter marketing ideas. We got you covered.

Special Easter Giveaways

I know this one may seem overly done, but there’s a good reason — it works! Giveaways are a surefire way to generate brand awareness and more traffic to your website in a short amount of time. For smaller holidays like Easter, it’s important to use the days leading up the holiday, as well as the day of, to your advantage by collaborating with an influencer. When giveaway campaigns are promoted on influencer socials, they nearly guarantee clicks all around your brand’s site. Just don’t forget to include those links!

Remind Them of the Good Ol’ Times

Millennials can’t resist nostalgia (or so they say). What better way to get them to invest in Easter this year than to remind them of their holiday traditions growing up? You can share how they can do the same for their kids now or how they can reminisce Easters gone by if they are kid-free.

If your brand has been around for a long time, you can bring back a special flavor or old-school packaging to get consumers to buy. And you know they’ll not only buy for themselves. They’ll want to gift products to their friends to share the nostalgia. A great way to do this is by tapping into millennial influencers to share their love of your brand and how it reminds them of their youth!

Virtual Egg Hunt

These are becoming more popular with social media and a heavier emphasis on digital marketing. Virtual egg hunts can be done in a variety of ways, but the most popular ones are on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram or housed on a brand’s website. The idea is to hide deals inside little digital eggs that can be found and clicked on throughout your website. If you’re thinking of using socials, you can put the links on IG Stories. This is where influencers come in handy. You can tap into their audiences by sharing discount codes in the form of clickable digital eggs. Easter influencer marketing has never been so engaging and fun! Plus it’s great if your Easter marketing strategy is geared toward driving clicks and making sales.

Easter Bundles 

There are plenty of customers who wait for special sales throughout the year to buy products. Easter may include some sales, but it doesn’t rival the likes of Black Friday. This can work in your favor. Target sale-driven shoppers by bundling your best sellers as an Easter deal. With fewer brands doling out deals, your bundles may just fill a gap in that sale-special market. You can send the bundles to top influencers that make sense for your niche and have them do an unboxing of the different bundles you’re offering. That way you get more eyes on your Easter deals and website.

Easter Marketing in Conclusion

What does all this data tell us? Don’t sleep on Easter! While it may be considered a smaller holiday, focusing a bit of your marketing budget on Easter can prove invaluable in terms of brand awareness and sales. Using influencers for giveaways, bundle unboxings, and other digital tactics can help get your target audience’s eyes on your brand and new products. Plus it might just turn them into loyal customers. 

Want to run an Easter influencer marketing campaign but not sure where to start? We at The Shelf know exactly how to help! Schedule a strategy call with us today. We’ll help you find the perfect influencers, create a winning Easter marketing strategy, and implement your dream Easter marketing campaign from start to finish!

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