Two great teams going head-to-head and a historic game celebrating the 50th Super Bowl could make this one of the most-celebrated football games we’ve seen in some time
An estimated 188.9 million football fans, foodies and social butterflies plan to watch the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers battle it out for the Super Bowl 50 championship title on February 7, up from the estimated 183.7 million who planned to watch last year. And, according to NRF’s Super Bowl Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, those celebrating will spend slightly more than they did for the 2015 Super Bowl; viewers and partygoers will spend an average of $82.19 on food, décor, team apparel and more, up from $77.88 last year and the highest in the survey’s history. Total spending is expected to top $15.5 billion.*
“Two great teams going head-to-head and a historic game celebrating the 50th Super Bowl could make this one of the most-celebrated football games we’ve seen in some time,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “We expect retailers will be aggressive with promotions on food and decorations as well as athletic wear and electronics in the coming days as they look to entice those planning to watch the Super Bowl.”
“The excitement around the Super Bowl this year should help retailers and restaurants kick off 2016 on a positive track,” continued Shay.
Of those watching the game, a few key highlights include:
- 34.7 percent say the football game is the most important part of the day (85 million) while 17.7 percent say the commercials are (43.4 million), and another 4.5 percent say enjoying the fun food is the most important for them (11 million);
- 43.3 million fans are planning to throw a Super Bowl party (17.7%) while another 70 million say they’d rather let their friends and relatives do the hosting and attend one instead (28.6%);
- 79.8 percent of partygoers and viewers will purchase food;
- Americans will purchase an estimated 8.6 million new televisions;
- 11.1 percent of those planning to watch the game will buy new team apparel and/or accessories – an estimated 20.9 million new items purchased;
- Nearly eight in 10 (78.6%) Americans say they view the commercials during the Super Bowl as entertainment, while 17.5 percent say they make them aware of advertisers’ brands, and 10.3 percent said they influence them to buy products from the advertisers.
“The Super Bowl has become much more than something only football fans dream about for the entirety of the season,” said Prosper’s Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “The growth in celebrations this year could be a result of increased interest among individuals who use sites like Twitter and Pinterest to bring out their creative skills when it comes to DIY party projects and even making festive game-day fare. Super Bowl Sunday is now more than just a game, it’s an experience for all.”
Specific demographic highlights include:
- 12.9 percent of 18-24 year olds say the halftime show is the most important part of Super Bowl Sunday for them, the highest of any age group, while one in five (20.4%) of 45-54 year olds say the commercials are the most important part of the day, similar to the 20.2 percent of 35-44 year olds who say so;
- 47.9 percent of 18-24 year olds are planning to attend a Super Bowl party – significantly higher than the next highest age group – 38.7 percent of 25-34 year olds;
- Three in 10 (29.9%) of 25-34 year olds will host a party, more than any other age group.
About the Survey
The NRF’s 2016 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 7,293 consumers was conducted from January 5-12, 2016, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 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
About NRF
The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association. Based in Washington, D.C., NRF represents 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.com