Mother’s Day is the most-shopped-for event in the spring. It beats out Easter, Memorial Day and graduation, with 43% of U.S. adults saying they plan to shop for the moms in their lives this year and 60% ranking Mother’s Day as the most significant holiday. To get a read on the top gifts and how much Americans are spending, we surveyed more than 1,001 U.S. adults.*
Flowers Remain the Top Gift for Mom This Year
For the third year in a row, flowers take the top spot for planned Mother’s Day gifts in 2024. However, beyond the expected gift of flowers, our survey found that there are numerous close seconds, suggesting that perhaps a bundle of gifts might be the way to go.
Top 10 Mother’s Day gifts for 2024:
- Floral arrangements: 33%
- Greeting cards or letters: 33%
- Food and beverages (at a restaurant/bar): 27%
- Gift cards: 26%
- Food and beverages (at home): 21%
- Jewelry: 22%
- Clothing, including shoes and accessories: 20%
- Cash: 16%
- Home goods/décor (e.g., plates, pillows, art): 15%
- Makeup and skincare: 15%
The good news is, there are deals to be had on the top categories. According to our deals data, flowers will be an average of 20% off this year in the lead up to Mother’s Day (as retailers compete for business). And jewelry will be marked down an average of 13% in May (though the biggest discounts will likely occur just after Mother’s Day, during clearance sales as retailers try to offload what didn’t sell)
Mother’s Day Spending Is Up This Year
Whether it’s because the costs of dining out remain stubbornly high, or because shoppers want to show Mom a lot of appreciation this year, shoppers will spend an average of $316 on Mother’s Day gifts in 2023, slightly up from $300 last year, $134 in 2022, $120 in 2021 and $97 in 2020.
Amazon, Big Box Stores and Florist Shops Are Top Shopping Destinations for Mother’s Day Gifts
We asked survey respondents where they plan to shop for Mother’s Day, and the places where shoppers can find everything (Amazon and big-box stores) came out on top.
The top 10 retailers Americans are planning to shop for Mother’s Day include:
- Amazon.com: 43%
- Big box stores (e.g., Walmart, Target, Walmart.com): 40%
- Florist/flower shop: 27%
- Department stores (e.g., Macy’s, Kohl’s): 24%
- Grocery stores (e.g., Aldi, Kroger): 23%
- Discount stores (e.g., Dollar Tree, Ross, T.J. Maxx): 23%
- Health and beauty stores (e.g., Ulta, Sephora, Bath & Body Works): 14%
- Home goods stores (e.g., Pottery Barn, Bed Bath & Beyond): 14%
- Jewelry stores: 14%
- Club stores (e.g., Costco, Sam’s Club): 12%
Top Mother’s Day Plan: Giving Flowers
Regardless of how a person defines “mom,” mother figures are most likely to be celebrated by flowers; 46% of Americans say they are planning to give flowers in honor of the holiday.
Other top ways Americans plan to celebrate Mother’s Day include:
- Giving a card or letter, 45%
- Buying a material gift for them, 41%
- Taking them out to a restaurant, 41%
- Doing an activity together, 28%
- Buying an experience or service for them, 15%
- Doing a chore or other work for them, 14%
- Taking other children or grandchildren out of the house for them, 11%
- Giving to a charitable cause in their name, 8%
Moms, stepmoms (and themselves — we love to see moms self-gifting) are at the top of shoppers’ gift lists this year, but plenty are shopping for various moms in their lives.
The top 10 mother figure Americans are shopping for include:
- My own mother: 61%
- Myself: 19%
- My mother in-law: 19%
- Wife, spouse, or romantic partner: 17%
- My children: 13%
- My own grandmother: 12%
- My aunt, cousin, or other female extended family: 12%
- My friends: 11%
- My grandmother in-law: 6%
- My coworker, boss, or mentor: 3%
*Survey Methodology
Ziff Media Group, Q2 2024 Shopping Survey. N = 1,002 U.S., Adults 18+. Data collected January 2024.
The post Mother’s Day Shopping and Spending By the Numbers (2024) appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
