NRF: Mother's Day spending estimated to reach $33.5 billion

Mother's Day spending is expected to reach a near-record this year.

According to new survey data from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper insights & Analytics, consumers are expected to spend $33.5 billion on the holiday, which falls on May 12 this year. The figure is the second highest in the history of the survey, following last year’s record $35.7 billion.

The vast majority (84%) of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate Mother's Day, and those who are plan to spend an average of $254 on gifts and celebrations. This per-person figure is also the second-highest in the history of the survey, 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. Most (59%) of those celebrating the holiday are shopping specifically for a mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (22%) or daughter (12%).

“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.”

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%). NRF says that consumers will spend a total of $7 billion on jewelry, $5.9 billion on special outings and $3.5 billion on electronics. Additionally, the survey total spending on flowers is expected to reach $3.2 billion, while total spending on greeting cards is expected to reach $1.1 billion this year.

This year, online (35%) remains the most popular shopping destination, followed by department stores (32%), specialty stores (29%) and local or small businesses (25%). More consumers say they will focus on finding items that are unique or different (48%) or create a special memory (43%) than in previous years.

“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,” said Phil Rist, Prosper executive VP of strategy. “Consumers also plan to spend more on special outings than they have in the past.”

The survey of 8,213 U.S. adult consumers was conducted April 1-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.