Consumer Behavior

Consumers will spend $35.7B for moms this year

Adobe Stock

May 1, 2023

Consumers are expected to spend $35.7 billion this Mother's Day, nearly $4 billion more than last year's record high of $31.7 billion, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

A good majority, 84%, of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the annual holiday which takes place on May 14 this year, according to a press release on the findings.

"Mother's Day provides Americans with an opportunity to honor important women in their lives," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in the release. "As people make plans to celebrate this year, retailers are prepared to help shoppers find gifts of appreciation and admiration for those they want to recognize on this special day."

Consumers plan to spend $274.02 per person, the highest in the history of the survey, and up from the previous record high of $245.76 in 2022. The top spenders are those ages 35-44, who are expected to spend an average of $382.26 on Mother's Day.

As in previous years, the most popular gifts to give are flowers (74%), greeting cards (74%) and special outings such as dinner or brunch (60%). Consumers will spend a total of $7.8 billion on jewelry, $5.6 billion on special outings and $4 billion on electronics.

"While most consumers shopped online last year for the perfect Mother's Day gift, we are seeing just as many people turn to department stores as a shopping destination this year," Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said in the release. "Gifts of experience continue to grow in popularity, with nearly one-third of those celebrating Mother's Day planning to give a gift of experience."

In addition to online (34%) and department stores (34%), consumers are also planning to shop at specialty stores (30%), local and small businesses (24%) and discount stores (23%). And more are looking at product subscription boxes, with 46% interested in this option, up from 39% last year.

The survey polled 8,164 U.S. adult consumers between April 3 and April 11.