Food Gifting for Easter Could See Uptick Due to Coronavirus and Social Distancing, reports Packaged Facts

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Apr 08, 2020, 10:03 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Best case scenario, the multibillion dollar U.S. food gifting market is expected to be hit less hard by the coronavirus-created economic uncertainty than other consumer-oriented product areas, according to the market research report Consumer and Corporate Food Gifting in the U.S., 7th Edition by Packaged Facts.

"Food gifts can be a preferable option for gift giving during the coronavirus pandemic because they are practical, easy to ship, comforting, and a good way to send treats to someone who cannot be visited because of social distancing," says David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts.

Don't be surprised if this coming Easter (April 12, 2020) provides ample opportunities for self-quarantined Americans to let off a little steam—even if only from afar. Last year, those celebrating Easter in 2019 spent an estimated $18 billion on the holiday, equating to $151 spent per celebrant and broken out across several categories ranging from candy and food to clothing, greeting cards, flowers, and decorations. In addition, there were those who didn't necessarily plan on celebrating Easter who still shopped Easter-related sales.

While food is a major Easter expense, food gifting provides additional opportunities:

Roughly 20% of food gifters have given someone a specialty food gift for Easter in the last 12 months, per Packaged Facts' 2020 national online survey featured in the report.
This population is much smaller than the nearly half of U.S. adults celebrating Easter in 2019, revealing that food gift marketers have a broad population to target for further sales.

Candies and chocolates are traditionally given to children in an Easter basket, and food gifts for adults also may come in a basket decorated for Easter. Gift sets specifically for Easter traditionally feature rabbits, eggs, and pastel colors.

What makes Easter even more intriguing, especially during this era of social distancing, are the chances that consumers will purchase an Easter food gift for themselves instead of for someone else. Packaged Facts found that along with Thanksgiving and Halloween, Easter is among the occasions almost as popular with Americans for self-gifting as they are for gifting to others.

In addition, Easter, much like Christmas, is a major occasion popular for food gifting in the U.S. that has religious roots, something the food gifting industry certainly keeps in mind. However, both Easter and Christmas have become celebrated across many groups, making them more important as cultural rather than religious events for many consumers.

About the Report

With a focus on "what's next" – along with bringing decades of food and beverage market perspective and analysis to the table – Consumer and Corporate Food Gifting in the U.S., 7th Edition (published March 2020) is packed with insights about consumer trends, behavior, and motivations to help food gift producers, retailers, packaging companies, investors, and service providers gauge consumer perspectives and opportunities for growth in a competitive market.

The report delivers actionable predictions and recommendations designed to guide food and beverage companies, retailers, service providers, and investors in making business decisions by providing data and insights about the market for food gifts. The analysis in this report also accounts for the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the food gifting market's performance in 2020.

Media members please contact our Communications Manager Daniel Granderson at [email protected] for a copy of the report summary. Those interested in purchasing the report can contact Research Specialist Frank Gaines at [email protected] or visit https://www.packagedfacts.com/Consumer-Corporate-Food-Gifting-Edition-13120163/.

About Packaged Facts

Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a wide range of consumer market topics, including consumer demographics and shopper insights, consumer financial products and services, consumer goods and retailing, and pet products and services. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. Reports can be purchased at our company website and are also available through MarketResearch.com.

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SOURCE Packaged Facts