Easter 2025 outperformed 2024, driven by stronger consumer confidence and increased spending. Gift purchasing rose, with 72% of consumers buying Easter gifts compared to 68% a year before, while spending on Easter products grew 8% YOY to £1.7bn.
Despite a more positive consumer outlook, rising prices impacted spending. Ongoing inflation in chocolate led 55% of consumers to cut back on buying these as gifts. Gifting also competed with in-home dining, as 49% said hosting a meal would reduce their gift spending. For 2026, affordable gifting strategies and highlighting the value of key items will be crucial for driving engagement.
There’s a clear need to simplify hosting, with 44% of consumers finding it overwhelming. Less traditional meal formats, such as BBQs, were enjoyed by 43%. These relaxed approaches reduce hosting pressure, offering a more relaxed experience. Incorporating international cuisines can further ease the burden. Take cues from world cuisines that emphasise shared, collaborative dishes with smaller plates, helping share cooking responsibilities.
Additionally, there’s a growing demand for meat-free options among 44% of consumers. Retailers can capitalise on this shift by highlighting vegetable-forward, globally inspired meals that align with the trend towards less traditional Easter dining.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Analysis of consumer spending on Easter, including a breakdown of spending by category and analysis of the types of gifts given.
- An in-depth look at in-home dining trends for Easter, including standout examples from retailers, and how retailers can elevate in-home food & drink ranges in the future.
- How gifts are purchased, including what type of chocolate products are purchased as gifts and key shopping behaviours.
- How retailers and brands can help cater to the demand for meat-free options for Easter by taking a cue from international cuisines.
- The opportunity to help make hosting Easter celebrations at home stress-free with convenient meal solutions.
- Exploring the challenges in gifting at Easter as in-home dining is set to grow
Easter 2025 showed strong engagement, driven by increased gift purchasing, but to keep Easter gifting thriving, retailers must think beyond confectionery.
Emily Viberg, Retail analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for Easter 2026
- Help home cooks at Easter share financial and mental responsibility of hosting
- Increase perceived value of chocolates to future-proof its gifting at Easter
- Look beyond confectionery to keep Easter alive as a key gifting occasion
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Improved confidence drives 7.7% increase in spending for Easter 2025
- Graph 1: estimated consumer spending on Easter products*, 2023-25
- Consumer confidence for the year ahead is positive
- Graph 2: the financial confidence index, 2016-25
- What consumers want and why
- Improving confidence boosts Easter gift purchasing
- Graph 3: Easter gift purchasing, 2021-25
- Branded chocolates top shoppers’ Easter gift choices
- Graph 4: Easter chocolate product buying, 2025
- Meat-free options and less traditional meals can help tackle hosting anxieties
- Graph 5: Easter in-home dining behaviours, 2025
- Retailer activity
- Easter product launches kick off in January
- Graph 6: food and drink launches with a seasonal claim, by month, 2023-24
- Stress-free Easter products to make baking easy
- Alcohol flavours make chocolate eggs adult-friendly
- Advertising falls 23% YOY for January-April 2025
- Graph 7: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by all retailers between January-April, 2021-25
- Social captures over a third of advertising between January-April 2025
- Graph 8: total above-the-line, online display advertising from all retailers between January-April, by media type, 2025
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Improved confidence drives 8% increase in spending for Easter 2025
- Graph 9: estimated consumer spending on Easter products*, 2023-25
- In-home food and drink captures 38% of Easter 2025 spending
- Easter drives sales of seasonal chocolates in 2024
- Graph 10: retail volume sales of chocolate, by segment, 2022-24
- Rising prices reduce Easter chocolate’s giftability
- Graph 11: consumers who bought fewer Easter eggs this year because of prices, by annual household income, 2025
- Fast tablewares makes dining at home affordable
- Easter gifting competes with in-home dining
- Discounters compete on premium Easter eggs
- Outlook for Easter 2026
- Market Drivers
- Consumer confidence sees an improvement
- Graph 12: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- Inflation increases household costs
- Graph 13: CPI inflation rate, 2021-25
- Consumer confidence for the year ahead is positive
- Graph 14: the financial confidence index, 2016-25
- Increases in food and drink prices a key issue
- Graph 15: cost of living related issues noticed in the last two months, 2025
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Easter gift purchasing in 2025
- Improving confidence boosts Easter gift purchasing
- DIY baking and decorating kits: The perfect blend of gifting and enhancing celebrations at home
- Retailers draw in shoppers with low prices
- Retailers take the opportunity to spotlight spring ranges
- 16-34s lead Easter gift purchasing but 35-54s see growth
- Graph 16: any Easter gift buying, by age, 2021-25
- Easter gifting baskets for teens and tweens
- Easter gift purchasing increases across low and high income levels
- Graph 17: any Easter gift buying, by household income, 2024-25
- Gifts purchased and channels shopped for Easter 2025
- Chocolate drives gifting, but clothing and BPC see growth
- Graph 18: type of Easter products purchased, 2024-25
- Opportunities to tap into fashion and BPC gifting
- In-store gift purchasing leads at Easter
- Graph 19: Easter products purchased, by channel, 2021-25
- Opportunities to leverage retail media in store
- Online shoppers spend more at Easter
- Higher ticket categories boost online gift buying
- 35-54s and higher earners significantly increase online shopping
- Graph 20: Easter purchases made online, by age and household income, 2024-25
- Purchasing Easter chocolate products as a gift
- Branded chocolates top shoppers Easter gift choices
- Graph 21: Easter chocolate product buying, 2025
- Older shoppers buy branded Easter chocolate products…and well in advance
- Graph 22: Easter chocolate purchased from brands and/or well in advance of the day, by age, 2025
- 16-34s are twice as likely as over-35s to buy own label chocolate as an Easter gift
- Help ensure own-label chocolate products trend on social media
- Graph 23: Easter chocolates purchased as gifts, by age, 2025
- Wider chocolate trends set to filter down to Easter chocolate NPD
- Chocolates with natural colourings appeal to families with young children
- Easter in-home dining trends and behaviours
- In-home dining at Easter grows in 2025
- Help elevate celebrations at home for lower income households
- Graph 24: Easter celebrations, by household income, 2025
- Meat-free options and less traditional meals can help tackle hosting anxieties
- Graph 25: Easter in-home dining behaviours, 2025
- Tap into 16-34s’ demand for meat-free dining options
- Graph 26: in-home dining behaviours for Easter, by age, 2025
- Grocers spotlight low prices on fresh produce
- Traditional with a twist and bringing in new cuisines will appeal
- Capture spend from those hosting Easter celebrations
- Retailers highlight Easter activities for children
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Easter new product development and innovation
- Easter product launches kick off in January
- Graph 27: food and drink launches with a seasonal claim, by month, 2023-24
- Private-label launches lead Easter NPD in 2025
- Graph 28: Easter launch activity, branded vs private label, 2021-25
- M&S new Easter chocolate eggs go viral
- Grocers dominate Easter NPD in 2025
- Graph 29: Easter launch activity, by top brands, 2025
- Grocers tout award-winning Easter products
- Stress-free Easter products to make baking easy
- Pets also feature in NPD for Easter
- Alcohol flavours make chocolate eggs adult-friendly
- Gnaw launches flat Easter eggs
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Advertising falls 23% for January-April 2025
- Graph 30: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by all retailers between January-April, 2021-25
- Amazon the lead advertiser between January-April 2025
- Graph 31: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising by top retailers between January-April, 2025
- Social captures over a third of advertising between January-April 2025
- Graph 32: total above-the-line, online display advertising from all retailers between January-April, by media type, 2025
- Brands play Easter chocolate match-maker
- Aldi Easter campaign reveals award-winning Easter egg design
- Comedian Mo Gilligan launches adult-only Easter eggs
- Walker’s Easter egg-shaped crisp campaign
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Data sources
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Market size methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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