Hopping to the Shops: 70% of Kids Spend Their Pocket Money in Supermarkets at Easter

Newly released data from leading children’s payment card nimbl, reveals an egg-stravagant Easter spending trend amongst kids.

While supermarket shopping is usually the preserve of mum and dad, the data reveals that during Easter at least, kids’ supermarket spending shoots up as they load up on delicious chocolate eggs. Over 70% of yearly supermarket purchases by 6 to 11 year olds and 16 to 18 year olds take place during the Easter holidays. 

Of the total spending by nimbl kids between 2020-2024 in March and April, a whopping 85% took place in supermarkets. This highlights just how much children are splashing out on Easter treats, with their hard-earned pocket money likely fuelling the Easter egg frenzy we’ve all come to know and love at this time of year.

The children who didn’t spend as much of their income on chocolate were those aged between 8 to 15 years old. This age group remained loyal to the larger year-round trend of spending on online gaming and retail. 60% of children’s income is spent in these areas throughout the year and, for teenagers, even Easter chocolate can’t pry them away from their devices.

However this did not stop Easter ranking as the third highest spending period in the calendar year with over 10% of children’s pocket money being spent in March and April, bested only by December and January when the Christmas spirit – and January sales – are in full swing

Alana Parsons, CEO at nimbl said:  “It’s great to see that the Easter holidays are still very much a time of celebration for young consumers. This time of the year will likely remain a charged spending period for kids as they hit the supermarkets in search of Easter treats.”

“These findings highlight how the Easter bunny is still well and truly alive for many children but it also shows us how traditional spending habits are evolving. While Easter remains a peak time for supermarket spending, the increasing presence of digital entertainment is evidently shaping the financial choices of young consumers from an early age.” 

“Further enforcing nimbl’s mission to educate young people on spending, parents and children can freely access saving tools, budget books and fun seasonal money-smart worksheets on the nimbl website. We aim to continue helping young consumers crack the code to smarter spending one egg-citing lesson at a time!”