Mother’s Day Consumer Spending Could Reach Near-Record $33.5 Billion

Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Mom’s special day is celebrated in various forms and on various dates around the world. Most countries, like the U.S., celebrate the holiday on the second Sunday of May.  

When it comes to showering love on Mom, consumers spare no expense. According to the annual consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach $33.5 billion this year. The figure is the second-highest in the survey’s history, following last year’s record $35.7 billion.   

“Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the women who play a meaningful role in our lives,” says Matthew Shay, president, chief executive officer, NRF. “Retailers know the significant importance of this day and are ready to help their customers with a wide selection of meaningful gifts for loved ones to show their appreciation.”  

A hefty 84% of U.S. adults are expected to observe the holiday. On average, those celebrating plan to spend $254.04 on Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations, the second-highest per-person figure, following last year’s record $274.02 per person. The biggest spenders are expected to be those between the ages of 35 and 44, who are budgeting $345.75 on average across several categories.    

Most (59%) of those shoppers are doing so specifically for a mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (22%) or daughter (12%).  

What’s Filling Shopping Carts 

According to the Society of American Florists, Mother’s Day accounts for 26% of all holiday purchases at flower shops. Mother’s Day is the third-most lucrative holiday for florists. The blossoming spring holiday follows only Valentine’s Day and Christmas/Hanukkah in terms of sales volume. 

In this era of electronic communication, stationery tends to take a backseat to digital holiday greetings. But Mother’s Day is a definite exception. According to the Greeting Card Association, Mother’s Day is the third-most popular holiday for card sales. Americans purchase an incredible 113 million cards for the holiday every year. 

Flowers and a card for mom are traditionally standard gifts, so it makes sense that Mother’s Day ranks behind only Christmas cards (1.3 billion) and Valentine’s Day cards (145 million) in total unit sales. 

This falls in line with the NRF’s survey results, which found, as with previous years, the most popular gifts to give are flowers (74%), greeting cards (74%) and special outings such as dinner or brunch (59%).   

Consumers will spend a total of $7 billion on jewelry, $5.9 billion on special outings and $3.5 billion on electronics. Total spending on flowers alone is expected to reach $3.2 billion, while total spending on greeting cards is expected to reach $1.1 billion this year.   

Gifts that are thoughtful remain a priority for Mother’s Day shoppers. More say they will focus on finding items that are unique or different (48%) or create a special memory (43%) than in years past.   

“Even though consumers continue to gravitate toward classic Mother’s Day gifts like flowers and greeting cards, almost one-third plan to give a gift of experience this year,” says Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy, Prosper. “Consumers also plan to spend more on special outings than they have in the past.”  

This year, online (35%) remains the most popular shopping destination, followed by department stores (32%), specialty stores (29%) and local or small businesses (25%).