• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 1, 2015

From Macy’s traditional flower show, Target’s bouncing bunny suits, and the Peep-filled aisles of Walmart, retail brands are doing all they can to coax consumers into spring. And it looks like it’s working: With consumer confidence on the upswing, the National Retail Federation says it expects Easter spending to climb to an average of $140.62, up a bit from $137.46 in last year’s survey. 

Online shoppers — about 19% of the sample — are expected to spend 58% more than the typical consumer, or $221.39. 

Some 80% of Americans plan to celebrate, with more observing the day in the Midwest, and fewest in the West. And the Washington, D.C.-based trade association says it expects total spending for the holiday to reach $16.4 billion. And while that is up a bit from last year, it’s well below the $17.1 billion in Easter spending in 2013.

The survey, conducted for the NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics, found that food, clothing, gifts and candy will be the categories that benefit most, by dollar amount. But candy is still the most popular choice, with 87.1% of celebrants buying jellybeans, chocolate rabbits or Peeps. Food comes in second, at 85.7%.

While most — 58.6% — say they plan to do their shopping at discount stores, 40.7% say they intend to shop at department stores and 23.8% also intend to make purchases at a local or small business. And 21.8% say they plan to shop at a specialty store, such as a florist or jeweler.

Besides asking how they’ll spend their money, this year the NRF survey also included questions about how they’ll spend their time, with 57.4% planning to be with friends and family, 50.8% going to church, and 30.9% hunting Easter eggs. About 15% say they intend to go to a restaurant to celebrate the holiday.