Coles is helping budgets go further this Easter by lowering the cost of seafood lunches, Easter egg hunts, award-winning hot cross buns and beverages for the 60% of Aussie families celebrating choosing to stay in this Easter.
According to Coles’ biggest ever pre-Easter survey of nearly 14,000 Australians[1], increasing household budget pressures are impacting how Aussies are planning to celebrate Easter this year. Insights show the vast majority of families are planning to celebrate at home with their immediate family rather than host large gatherings in an effort to keep costs down. For those celebrating Easter, the survey revealed that:
- More than 50% of Australians will be celebrating Easter at home, increasing to 63% among families.
- Two in three Aussies will be celebrating with their household. This extends out to 86% among families.
- 20% of Australians celebrating Easter are hunting for Easter food specials more than before, followed by buying less food to reduce spend (20%) and eating in rather than out (19%) to manage the impact of food prices.
- 71% say ‘price’ is the most important factor when shopping for Easter products. This is up by +17% on Easter 2022. After price, freshness (53%), taste (46%) and quality (44%) follow as the next top drivers.
- Customers manage spend mainly through shopping specials and promotions (47%) and comparing supermarkets prices through catalogues (38%) – catalogue use to manage spend has increased compared to Easter 2022. Aussies using a set budget to manage spend also increased to 32%, while 21% of Aussies plan to make use of loyalty points to get cash off a shop.
- Two in three (65%) Aussies plan to eat chocolates and bunnies this Easter, followed by hot cross buns (60%). This is up 11% on Easter 2022.
- Just over two in three (68%) of Aussies celebrating will be giving out chocolate eggs or bunnies as gifts.
- 87% of families are gifting Easter chocolate eggs or bunnies this Easter, almost 10% more than last year.
- One in two families are planning an Easter egg hunt. This is strongest specifically amongst families with kids aged 0-12yo (60%).
- Around 29% of Australians plan on having a BBQ this Easter, while 34% will be having salads.
- Around 40% of people will be choosing an Easter lunch, 22% for dinner and 16% for breakfast. Breakfast has become a more popular by +5% compared to Easter 2022.
- Top three Easter products at Coles are: hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and bunnies.
- 17% of Aussies opt for white wine, followed by sparkling wine (14%), beer (14%) and red wine (13%) for those choosing to celebrate with an alcoholic beverage. Cocktails are chosen by 7% of Aussies, however, this is more popular (11%) among families with kids under six years old.
“With many families staying home this Easter, Coles is preparing for its biggest week of the year for seafood sales, with customers expected to splash out on over 500,000 kilos of fresh seafood – which is 200% more seafood compared to any other week of the year. Cooked prawns are the top pick for Easter, covering half of the overall volume of seafood expected to be consumed this week, along with 66,400 kilos of salmon, 90,000 lobsters and 324,000 individual oysters.”
To help deliver the best value seafood spread, Coles has cut the price of what customers are buying most in the deli for Easter such as:
- MSC responsibly sourced raw banana prawns down to $22 per kilo, which is cheaper than last year.
- WA Rock Lobsters to $22 each, down from $27 each in February.
- Responsibly sourced Coles Deli Fresh Tasmanian Salmon Skin On is down to $29 per kilo, save $4 p/kg.
- Coles Fresh Australian Thawed Cooked Black Tiger Large Prawns down to $27 per kilo, save $5 p/kg.
- Coles Fresh Australian Cooked Black Tigers Prawns down to $29 per kilo, save $4 p/kg.
Coles is also anticipating its biggest Easter yet for confectionary and hot cross buns with more than six tonnes of Easter eggs and bunnies and almost 75 million hot cross buns expected to sell this season, with 15 million expected to roll out this week alone. Since Boxing Day, Victoria has had the biggest appetite for hot cross buns, consuming the most mouth-watering hot cross buns from Coles so far, followed by Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
Customers can purchase two packets of Coles’ CHOICE Recommended range of traditional fruit, chocolate and apple & cinnamon hot cross buns for $6, which is the same price as last year, and shoppers can save between 40% and 50% off Easter confectionary range on brands including Cadbury and Lindt. Additional savings include:
- 40% off Cadbury Dairy Milk Easter Bunny 250g, Easter egg bag varieties and Cadbury Happy Easter 15 Pack Egg Carton 250G.
- 50% off Lind Value Egg Bags 390g down to $12 and Lindor Assorted Value Hunt Bags down to $17.
- Up to 50% off entire Easter gifting range including egg hunt bags, plush toys, novelty mugs and sleepwear sets.
Coles Executive General Manager for Fresh Andy Mossop says it’s important to understand what customers are feeling to ensure Coles can provide the best value and quality on products they need most this Easter.
“We started our specials on Easter confectionary and hot cross buns much earlier this year to help household budgets go further by planning ahead and grabbing instant savings on items customers are buying most – these include 2 packs of hot cross buns for $6 and half price specials on chocolate bunnies and eggs, as well as now dropping the price of our sustainable seafood range,” Mr Mossop said.
“This is the biggest week of the year for seafood sales and we’re delighted to be able to make great quality and responsibly sourced Australian seafood like banana prawns and $22 WA Rock Lobsters more affordable so our customers can plan their menus over the long weekend, featuring one of our best-selling banana prawns at just $22 per kilo.”
Coles’ traditional range of Coles brand and Cadbury Easter Bunnies and Eggs remain the most purchased confectionary at Coles but there’s been a strong spike in innovation in flavours and gifting in the aisle, with 14 new products launching this year including a hot cross bun flavoured Easter egg from Pana and KitKat Milo flavoured Easter egg. ‘I’m Free From’ dietary options expanded this year with brands like Pana launching a new and exclusive to Coles ‘flat egg’ range which is plant-based and gluten-free so more customers can indulge in chocolatey goodness this Easter.
With a major shift towards responsibly sourced chocolate, all Coles Easter confectionery is made using Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance/UTZ certified cocoa, and Coles is once again selling Chocolatier Australia Puddles The Platypus with 25% of profits donated towards Australian Platypus Conservancy and a global first and Coles exclusive, Lindt Koala, which is raising funds for the Australian Koala Foundation with $1 donated to the charity with every product sold.
For gifting, Coles has new plush toys and bunny ears, novelty mugs, sustainable crafts, books, sleep sets and Easter hunt options to entertain the kids over the long weekend. In the week leading up to Easter Sunday, Coles expects to sell 65% of the volumes as customers rush to pick up a bargain in time. All Coles paper products and the Hallmark Easter card collection are 100% FSC and recyclable.
Liquorland also has some deals over the Easter long weekend.
Coles Liquor General Manager of Customer Loyalty Mia Lloyd says outside of Christmas and the New Year’s period, Easter is the biggest week of the year.
“We know our customers will be entertaining or relaxing at home over the long weekend and to help budgets go further, we’ve lowered the price on Easter favourites like Sensi Prosecco down from $28 to just $20 (WA/NT $21) and Pepperjack Barossa Shiraz reduced to $20 (WA/NT $21),” Ms Lloyd said.
“White and rosé wine match perfectly with seafood and are great options for bringing to an Easter get together with friends and family. Liquorland is offering Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc for just $16 each (WA/NT $17), and Bijou Terre de Providence Rosé is at two for $20 (WA/NT $22).
“If you do happen to be heading out into the great outdoors, the innovative Eco-Bottle is made from 100% recycled PET, which offers a lighter alternative to glass. Its slimmer, flatter profile also helps when trying to find room in the esky, and with four varietals on offer, there’s something for everyone’s taste,” she said.
