Mother’s Day 2017 Spending Expected to Reach Record High of $23.6 Billion

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KEY POINTS

  • Based on its annual Mother’s Day Spending Survey, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects that total spending on Mother’s Day in the US this year will reach $23.6 billion, a record high. The annual survey is conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
  • The NRF projects that the average Mother’s Day spend per person will be $186.39 this year, up 7.6% from last year’s $172.22.
  • Survey respondents indicated that jewelry will be the biggest Mother’s Day gift category, by total sales, this year: 36% of those surveyed said they plan to purchase a gift of jewelry, and the NRF expects that shoppers will spend a total of $5.0 billion on the category. The second-biggest spending category, cited by 56% of those surveyed, is a special outing such as dinner or brunch. The NRF expects consumers to spend $4.2 billion on such outings this year.
  • Department stores will see the most Mother’s Day shoppers, with specialty stores close behind. Approximately 30% of those surveyed plan to shop online, up from 27% last year. Among smartphone owners surveyed, 34% said they will research gift ideas on their device and 19% said they plan to use it to make a purchase.

According to the NRF’s 2017 Mother’s Day Spending Survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, Americans plan to spend a record $23.6 billion this Mother’s Day, the highest figure in the survey’s 14-year history. This is a 9.3% increase over last year’s $21.4 billion spending total. The holiday continues to rank third in terms of retail spending for US holidays/occasions, trailing only the winter holidays and the back-to-school season.

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More than 20% of the 7,406 consumers surveyed responded that they plan to spend more this Mother’s Day than they did last year. Additionally, 56.4% of those surveyed said they plan to spend about the same amount as they did last year, while only 7.9% said they plan to spend less.

How much do consumers plan to spend on the moms they love this year? According to the survey, Mother’s Day shoppers are planning to spend an average of $186.39, up 7.6% from $172.22 last year.

The figure below shows planned Mother’s Day spending for the past eight years.

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Based on the survey results, American consumers plan to spend approximately $5.0 billion in total on jewelry and more than $4.2 billion on special outings such as brunch or dinner, the two largest categories in terms of planned expenditure. Of those surveyed, 78% said they intend to purchase greeting cards, while 69% said they intend to purchase flowers, sales of which are projected to total $2.6 billion. The graph below shows the major Mother’s Day spending categories, by projected sales.

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NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay commented, “With spring in full bloom, many Americans are looking forward to splurging on their mothers this Mother’s Day. Retailers will be ready with a wide range of gift options and a variety of promotions for their customers.”

 

Top Shopping Destinations for Mother’s Day 2017

Among survey respondents, 35% said they plan to shop at department stores for Mother’s Day gifts, while 31% said they plan to shop at specialty stores. The graph below highlights the top shopping destinations for Mother’s Day gifts this year, according to the NRF survey.

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More Shoppers Plan to Shop Online than Last Year

This year, more consumers are planning to do their buying online than did last year: 30% of those surveyed said that they will shop online for Mother’s Day items in 2017, up from 27% last year. Additionally, a significant percentage of smartphone owners surveyed plan to research products online: 34% of respondents said that they will research gift ideas on their device before they make a purchase. Overall, 19% of consumers surveyed said that they will use their phones to make a purchase.