Average Fan to Spend 14% More for Patriots/Seahawks Match-Up
WASHINGTON, 2015-1-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — The most widely watched sporting event of the year will draw an estimated 184 million viewers when the Seattle Seahawks return to the Super Bowl after last year’s win to face the New England Patriots on Sunday, February 1, for Super Bowl XLIX. According to NRF’s Super Bowl Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, average viewer spending will reach a survey high of $77.88, up from $68.27 last year, with fans planning to splurge on everything from game day food and new televisions to athletic wear and decorations. Total spending is expected to reach $14.3 billion.*
“With renewed confidence in the economy and the outlook for 2015, consumers are looking forward to some good old-fashioned fun with their friends and family to celebrate the big game,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Retailers will take full advantage of the expected traffic from avid fans by making sure they have adequately invested in décor, party food and accessories and other Super Bowl-related inventory.”
Of the 75.8 percent planning to watch the game, nearly eight in 10 (79.3%) will purchase food and beverages, 10.8 percent will buy team apparel or accessories and 8.8 percent will splurge on new televisions to watch the game at home.
According to the survey, the nearly 43 million viewers planning to host a Super Bowl party should expect a full house as one-quarter (25.9%) of those surveyed say they plan to attend a party to celebrate the big game with friends and family. Bars and restaurants can also expect a good turnout on February 1 with more than 13 million viewers planning to head out to watch at their favorite local spot.
Nearly half of viewers (46.8%) say that the game itself is the most important part of the day, and nearly one-third (41.3%) of those planning to watch say that the most important parts for them are the commercials and hanging out with friends and family. Additionally, a record 11.9 percent of viewers this year say the most important part of the Super Bowl for them is the half-time show.
While all age groups agree the game itself is the most important part of Super Bowl Sunday, the survey also found differences among specific age groups when it comes to the importance of commercials, the half-time show and seeing friends and family. According to the survey, one in five (22.8%) 18-to-24-year-olds say the most important part of the game is the commercials, the highest of any other age group, and 25-to-34-year-olds say getting together with friends is the most important part of the day (15.4%), highest among all the other age groups.
While more than three-quarters (77.1%) of viewers say they look at Super Bowl commercials as entertainment, others feel that the commercials make them more aware of the advertiser’s brand (20.1%). For those who do not have favorable opinions of the commercials, many think the advertisers should save their money and pass the savings along to the consumers (16.6%) and 9.7 percent say the commercials make the game last too long.
“More viewers than ever are planning to tune in on game day this year as these connected consumers reach to multiple channels to join in with other fans and follow their favorite national brands,” said Prosper’s Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “Beyond the game, viewers will use this day to catch up with friends and family and treat themselves to their favorite game day treats.”
Millennials will show their spending power this year for the Super Bowl: young adults ages18-24 plan on spending an average of $95.92; those ages 25-34 and 35-44, however, will spend slightly more at an average of $101.54 and $102.82, respectively.
About the Survey
The NRF’s 2015 Super Bowl spending survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Super Bowl. The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The poll of 6,375 consumers was conducted from January 6-13, 2015 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points.
Prosper Insights and Analytics delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, Prosper represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues.www.ProsperDiscovery.com
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com
Treacy Reynolds
press@nrf.com
(855) NRF-Press
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*Total spening is an extrapolation of U.S. population ages 18 and above.