Spending on Mother’s Day gifts and outings is expected to reach $33.5 billion this year, according to an annual consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. That figure is the second highest in the history of the survey, 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,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “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.”
Eighty-four percent of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate 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 for the holiday. (This year, the holiday falls on May 12.)
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%).
“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,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “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%).
The survey of 8213 U.S. adult consumers was conducted April 1-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
Click here for more from the survey.