The Easter holiday presents a significant seasonal revenue opportunity for businesses across multiple industries. From grocery and retail to travel, restaurants, and home décor, consumer spending spikes as families celebrate, entertain, and purchase gifts. Understanding which industries benefit most, what drives demand, and how to strategically reach both current and potential customers is crucial for brands looking to maximize holiday revenue.
In this post, we explore the industries most positively impacted by Easter, the factors driving consumer behavior, and how an omnichannel marketing approach—spanning paid social media, digital display, CTV/streaming, mobile, mailbox, DOOH, SEM, and streaming audio—can help brands capture maximum value. We’ll also provide a real-world example of a full-funnel omnichannel strategy tailored for Easter promotions.
Industries Poised for Easter Growth
Several sectors see measurable revenue boosts during the Easter season:
1. Grocery & Packaged Food
Chocolate eggs, candies, baked goods, and specialty beverages are among the top-selling items in the weeks leading up to Easter. According to the National Confectioners Association, seasonal candy sales can increase by 30–40% during this period, driven by gifting, family gatherings, and Easter egg hunts and baskets.
2. Retail & E-Commerce
Retailers see heightened demand for Easter-themed products, spring fashion, home décor, and outdoor entertaining essentials. Brick-and-mortar stores benefit from foot traffic, while e-commerce platforms capitalize on convenience shopping and delivery options.
3. Travel & Leisure
Family vacations, weekend getaways, and entertainment venues such as amusement parks, zoos, and family entertainment centers see increased bookings. Easter coincides with school holidays in many regions, creating a surge in short-term travel and experiential spending.
4. Restaurants & Foodservice
Restaurants, cafés, and catering services often report higher bookings for Easter brunches, dinners, and special events. Seasonal menus and limited-time offers further drive customer interest and foot traffic.
5. Toys & Children’s Products
Easter baskets, toys, games, and arts-and-crafts kits are top picks for parents and gift-givers, creating an additional surge in demand for products targeted at children.
What Drives Easter Demand
Several key factors contribute to elevated consumer spending during Easter:
- Tradition and Celebration: Families buy candy, gifts, and décor to celebrate the holiday and engage in traditional activities such as egg hunts and Easter brunches.
- Gifting Culture: Many consumers purchase gifts for children, spouses, and extended family members, fueling sales in retail and e-commerce channels.
- Seasonal Promotions: Limited-time offers, discounts, and seasonal product lines create urgency and encourage early purchasing.
- Experiential Consumption: Entertainment venues, travel providers, and restaurants see increased bookings as consumers prioritize experiences over material goods.
- Convenience and Accessibility: E-commerce, curbside pickup, and subscription services make it easy for consumers to plan and purchase holiday essentials.
Capturing Easter Revenue Through an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy: A Real-World Retail Example
To maximize Easter revenue, brands must reach consumers at every stage of the buying journey, combining awareness, consideration, and conversion tactics across multiple channels. Let’s explore how a national retail chain could execute a fully integrated omnichannel Easter campaign and the impact of each channel along the customer journey.
Awareness Stage:
The goal in this stage is to generate broad visibility for seasonal products, events, and promotions, building excitement for Easter.
- Paid Social Media: Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook allow the brand to target families, parents, and gift-givers with visually engaging ads featuring Easter décor, chocolate bundles, spring fashion, and children’s products. Paid social drives impact by increasing brand recall and creating emotional engagement, ensuring the brand is top-of-mind when shoppers begin planning their Easter activities.
- CTV / Streaming Video: By running 15 or 30 second video ads on CTV platforms, the brand reaches families during peak at-home viewing hours. These festive, storytelling-driven ads highlight seasonal offerings and special in-store events, such as Easter egg hunts or brunches. CTV ads have high engagement rates and deliver immersive, visually rich experiences, increasing both awareness and intent.
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH): Interactive billboards, commuter displays, and shopping mall screens showcase the retailer’s Easter promotions in high-footfall locations. DOOH complements digital campaigns by catching consumers who may not be active online, reinforcing awareness and prompting consideration for in-store visits.
Consideration Stage:
At this stage, consumers are evaluating options and seeking more information before purchasing. The brand uses channels that provide personalized messaging and encourage deeper engagement.
- Digital Display: Programmatic display ads reach online consumers with seasonal, dynamic, hyper-targeted advertising. Brands reach consumers across all devices to showcase holiday messaging and encourage timely action. Display strengthens brand recall and keeps products top-of-mind.
- Mobile: Push notifications, SMS alerts, and in-app messages deliver timely reminders about Easter promotions, flash sales, and local store events. Geofencing targets users near physical retail locations, prompting visits with location-based messaging. Mobile channels drive impact by delivering highly contextual, timely messages directly to consumers, bridging the online-to-offline experience.
- Streaming Audio: Ads on streaming audio platforms deliver seasonal messaging during commute times or leisure listening, creating a subtle yet consistent presence. By incorporating Easter-themed calls-to-action, such as “shop our Easter collection online or in-store,” audio ads help nurture intent and reinforce other campaign messages.
Conversion Stage:
The final stage focuses on converting interested consumers into buyers, both online and in-store.
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Paid search campaigns capture high-intent shoppers actively searching for Easter products, events, or services. Ads target queries like “Chocolate Easter bunny,” “Easter basket ideas,” or “Easter brunch reservations.” Optimized landing pages streamline the purchasing process and reduce friction, directly driving conversions.
- Shared & Direct Mail: Physical mailers provide coupons, gift guides, or invitations to Easter events, reaching consumers who respond well to tangible, personalized offers. When integrated with digital retargeting campaigns, direct mail drives multi-channel engagement and reinforces the brand message, increasing the likelihood of store visits or online purchases.
- Mobile (Again for Conversion): Near the end of the journey, geo-fenced mobile notifications remind customers of nearby stores or curbside pickup options, helping capture last-minute shoppers. By nudging consumers in proximity to retail locations, brands can drive incremental foot traffic and boost in-store sales.
The Impact of a Coordinated Omnichannel Strategy
By aligning these channels with the customer journey, the retailer achieves several key outcomes:
- Enhanced Reach and Frequency: Awareness-focused channels (paid social, CTV, DOOH) ensure broad exposure, while retargeting and mobile channels reinforce messaging.
- Improved Engagement: Personalized messaging across display, mobile, and audio channels keeps consumers engaged throughout the consideration stage.
- Higher Conversion Rates: SEM, direct mail, and geo-fenced mobile notifications capture high-intent shoppers at the point of purchase, driving both online and in-store transactions.
- Seamless Online-to-Offline Integration: Geo-targeted mobile notifications and direct mail campaigns complement online efforts, creating a cohesive experience that encourages in-store visits.
- Measurable ROI: Each channel provides performance metrics, allowing marketers to optimize campaigns in real-time and allocate resources to the most effective touchpoints.
By executing a well-coordinated omnichannel strategy, this retail brand can capitalize on Easter’s seasonal surge, turning awareness into engagement and ultimately into measurable revenue growth. Not only does this approach increase holiday sales, but it also strengthens long-term customer relationships by delivering a seamless, personalized experience across all touchpoints.
Key Takeaways for Brands
- Start Early: Easter planning and promotions should begin weeks in advance to capture early shoppers and maximize awareness.
- Segment & Personalize: Tailor messaging by audience segment, leveraging purchase history, location, and intent data.
- Align Channels With the Customer Journey: Awareness, consideration, and conversion stages should be supported by channels optimized for their unique strengths.
- Integrate Online & Offline Tactics: Physical and digital touchpoints reinforce each other, driving higher engagement and purchase intent.
- Measure & Optimize in Real Time: Use analytics and attribution tools to assess channel performance and adjust campaigns to maximize ROI during the short Easter sales window.
Easter may be a brief seasonal opportunity, but with a thoughtful omnichannel approach, brands can capture significant revenue growth, deepen customer relationships, and reinforce brand awareness for the spring season.
Mspark helps brands strategically leverage paid social, display, CTV, mobile, mailbox, DOOH, SEM, and streaming audio channels to ensure that no potential customer is missed—turning holiday engagement into measurable results.
