Consumer spending on Mother’s Day just keeps climbing, according to the latest figures from the NRF. Total consumer spend surrounding the event is expected to reach $35.7 billion, well above last year’s then-record $31.7 billion and the previous year’s $28.1 billion.
Some 84% of US adults plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, on par with last year. This year’s celebrants estimate that they will spend an average of $274.02 each, a new record that represents a substantial ~$28 increase from last year’s $245.74 each. In fact, estimated per-celebrant spending has grown by almost $80 since 2019. Adults ages 35-44 are forecast to be the biggest spenders this year, with an expected spending of $382.26 per celebrant on Mother’s Day gifts.
According to the survey’s results, the largest amount of total spending will go to the following categories:
- Jewelry — $7.8 billion total (up from $6.98 billion last year), with 44% of celebrants buying;
- Special outings such as dinner or brunch — $5.6 billion (up from $5.28 billion last year), with 60% planning an outing;
- Electronics — $4 billion (up from $3.41 billion), with 25% planning to buy; and
- Gift cards — $3.4 billion (up from $3.14 billion), with 54% planning a purchase.
Greeting cards (74%) and flowers (74%) will be the most commonly-purchased gifts, while jewelry, electronics and apparel are the categories driving the most growth in spending.
Almost half (47%) of respondents say that finding a gift that is unique or different is important when picking out a Mother’s Day gift, while 4 in 10 (42%) think it’s important to find a gift that creates a special memory.
The survey also found that close to half (46%) are interested in gifting a subscription box for Mother’s Day this year, up from 39% last year and 35% the year prior. Finally, the leading destinations for shopping will be online (34%) and department stores (34%), followed by specialty stores (30%).
More data can be found here.
About the Data: The results are based on a survey of 8,164 adult consumers fielded April 3-11, 2023.