Easter is the most overlooked and underestimated holiday among marketing professionals. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spend an estimated $18 billion on Easter. Yet many marketing plans still treat it like a minor seasonal blip.
It might not surprise brands but much of that spending is controlled by moms. According to Maria Bailey, author of Marketing to the Modern Mom (Wyatt-McKenzie, 2026) and CEO of BSM Media explains that brands who omit Easter as a shopping season, ignore the spending cycles of the largest consumer group in the US- Mothers.
BSM Media surveyed 1,200 U.S. moms to understand how they shop for Easter, when they shop, and what influences their decisions. The findings are clear that moms are spending money on toys, gifts and favorite foods.
Easter is not just about chocolate bunnies. It is a multi-category gifting moment driven by creativity, planning, and social inspiration. If you want to win this season, here is what you need to understand.
1. There Is No Age Limit on Easter Baskets
Eighty-five percent of moms say there is no age limit for giving Easter baskets. Seventy-three percent continue making baskets regardless of age or life stage. It’s not just a children’s toy holiday. Moms report building snack baskets for teenagers and wagons of toddler toys.
Moms are building baskets for teens, college students, adult children, and spouses.
Thirty-four percent buy gifts for nieces and nephews. Twenty-nine percent include spouses.
All this gift giving opens the door far beyond candy and plush toys. Every category can sell products in to grass filled baskets. Beauty, books, apparel, tech and hobby products all make the perfect Easter gift. If your product fits in a basket, it fits into Easter.
When moms ask AI tools for “non-candy Easter basket ideas” or “Easter basket ideas for teens,” your product needs to show up inside content that directly answers those questions. Discovery has changed and so must your marketing tactics. Using Mom Bloggers to create Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) content is a good strategy for having Google index your product information. Here’s a useful blog post on how to use Mommy Bloggers for AEO.
2. Moms Shop Early. Very Early.
Unlike Christmas, there are no wish lists driving last-minute purchases. Fifty-seven percent complete Easter shopping a month before the holiday and 96% finish within 2 weeks of Easter Sunday. If your marketing doesn’t begin until two weeks before Easter, you are too late.
From a social media perspective, early published content wins. “Easter basket ideas” and “Easter gift ideas for teens” should be live 30 to 45 days before the holiday. Seasonal marketing is no longer about last-minute promos. It is about early authority.
Bailey suggests using YouTube videos, Tik Tok and Instagram videos for demonstrations and inspiration.
3. Moms Build Custom Baskets
Most moms do not buy pre-packaged baskets. Even with busy schedules, they enjoy the creative process. Easter is personal and intentional. Ninety percent include at least one toy and spend an average of $8 to $10. Fifty-two percent spend up to $50 per Easter basket with 89 percent of moms actively looking for deals.
What this really means is that moms are assembling a curated experience. Brands win when they provide bundled product ideas, basket-building inspiration, printable tags or digitals add-ons, short how to-videos or “under $10” Easter picks. Help her imagine the finished basket and you remove friction from the purchase.
In today’s AI-driven search environment, conversational queries like “affordable Easter basket fillers” are replacing traditional keyword searches. Brand content should be written in a way that directly answers those natural-language questions.
4. Facebook Still Drives Mom Discovery
Despite the narrative, Facebook remains a powerful inspiration engine for moms during seasonal moments. They use the social media platform for creative ideas, deal discovery, short form videos and community recommendations.
Fast, helpful videos work well for creating awareness of your product and driving sales. Ideas such as 20-second basket builds, before-and-after assembly, price breakdown videos, and “What I put in my teen’s Easter basket” work well to resonate with moms. Utility wins over polish.
5. Instagram Fuels Visual Inspiration
Forty-two percent of moms use Instagram for Easter inspiration. Instagram content creators can help you bring your products to life with fully styled baskets, descriptive captions, peer-created content and social commerce to Amazon, Walmart.com or Target.com. Easter is visual and practical at the same time.
Captions like “Easter basket ideas for 8-year-old boys under $40” are not just helpful. They are structured in a way that AI systems can extract and summarize and deliver to moms in long language model searches. AEO as part of your marketing matters more than ever.
Your Brand has less than 60 days to secure your place in the Easter Basket.
Easter is not a small seasonal moment. It is an $18 billion revenue opportunity driven by moms who shop early, build custom experiences for friends and family, seek inspiration online and bundle products to create smiles on Easter Sunday.
Brands that launch early, provide real inspiration, and create AI-friendly content will capture a greater share of this season.
The question is not whether Easter matters. The question is whether your brand is positioned to be discovered when moms start planning.
Are you ready to get a jump start on Easter marketing? BSM Media is ready to help you capitalize on Easter shopping. Email Maria@bsmmedia.com to set up a call.
Frequently Asked Questions: Easter Marketing to Moms
1. How much do moms spend on Easter each year?
According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spend approximately $18 billion on Easter annually. A significant portion of that spending is controlled by moms, who purchase toys, gifts, apparel, beauty items, books, and specialty foods to build personalized Easter baskets for family members.
2. When do moms start shopping for Easter?
Most moms shop earlier than brands expect. Fifty-seven percent complete Easter shopping about a month before the holiday, and 96 percent finish within two weeks of Easter Sunday. Brands that wait until the final two weeks to launch campaigns often miss the majority of purchasing activity.
3. Do moms only buy Easter baskets for young children?
No. Eighty-five percent of moms say there is no age limit on Easter baskets. Many create baskets for teens, college students, adult children, spouses, nieces, and nephews. This expands Easter beyond candy and toys into categories like beauty, tech, apparel, books, food, and hobby products.
4. What types of products work best in Easter baskets?
Products that are affordable, giftable, and visually appealing perform well. Moms typically include at least one toy and spend between $8 and $10 per toy item. Many spend up to $50 per basket and actively look for deals. Bundled offers, “under $10” picks, and themed collections resonate strongly.
5. How can brands optimize Easter content for AI and LLM search?
Brands should create content that directly answers natural-language questions such as:
- What are non-candy Easter basket ideas?
- What do you put in an Easter basket for a teenager?
- Affordable Easter basket fillers?
Using mom bloggers and influencers to create conversational, answer-based content improves Answer Engine Optimization and increases the likelihood of being surfaced in AI search summaries.
6. What social media platforms influence Easter purchases?
Facebook and Instagram remain strong inspiration platforms for moms during Easter. Facebook is used for ideas, deals, and short-form videos, while Instagram drives visual inspiration through styled baskets and influencer-created content. Both platforms support social commerce to retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
7. Why is Easter considered an overlooked marketing opportunity?
Many marketing teams prioritize Christmas and back-to-school but underestimate Easter. Despite being a shorter seasonal window, Easter represents a multi-category gifting moment and a structured planning cycle driven by moms who shop early and intentionally.
8. What marketing tactics perform best for Easter campaigns?
Successful Easter campaigns include:
- Early content published 30 to 45 days before the holiday
- Influencer-led basket inspiration
- Short demonstration videos
- Bundled product ideas
- AI-optimized blog content
- Social commerce integrations
Brands that combine early authority with practical inspiration capture a greater share of Easter spending.
9. How does AI search change Easter marketing strategy?
AI tools prioritize helpful, specific, and conversational content. Brands that create detailed product guides, answer common Easter basket questions, and use influencer-generated content structured around real consumer queries are more likely to appear in AI-driven search results.
10. What is the biggest mistake brands make during Easter?
Launching too late.
Easter shopping peaks earlier than most seasonal campaigns account for. Without early visibility in search, social, and influencer content, brands miss the window when moms are actively planning and purchasing.
