Survey: Moms worried about prices, availability of holiday 2025 gifts
Despite being more than six months away, a new survey reveals that moms are already concerned about how incoming tariffs will impact Christmas shopping.
Eight-in-10 (81%) moms are concerned about the impact of tariffs on their families, and 58% intend to change their shopping habits this year for the holidays, according to a new report from BSM Media, a leading authority on marketing to Moms and largest mom influencer agency in the U.S.
Seventy percent of respondents said they are worried about how tariffs on toys will impact their holiday shopping. Moms expressed concern about increased prices (84%), limited choices (51%), limited distribution (39%), online sellouts (36%) and the scarcity of hot toys (27%).
[READ MORE: Survey: Most consumers already changing spending habits due to tariffs]
When asked about how they would adapt their shopping strategies, the majority said that they would limit the number of toys their child receives (51%) or consider purchasing experiences over toys (46%). Nearly four-in-10 (37%) moms said they would sell toys that are no longer used to offset the cost of new ones, and 33% said that they would purchase gently-used items from thrift stores or resell sites as gifts.
"What price increases can we expect on imported goods in the coming months? That is the time moms will start shopping for the holidays,” said Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media. “Moms are planners by nature, so uncertainty is not optimum and may well affect retailers' bottom line. Moms who keep to their budgets may find that their dollars will not go as far as last year."
Notably, when asked if they were willing to pay a little more for a product made in the United States to avoid tariffs, 30% said yes, 11% said no, and almost 60% said it depends on the price difference. The survey found it was an even split between moms that shop websites or retailers that highlight products made in the U.S. and those that do not. When it comes to toys, 63% admitted that they do not seek out American-made toys.
Moms also look to other moms for good advice. A third (32%) said they would take recommendations from other moms for saving money, and 33% said they would use social media to identify sales.
"The 90-day tariff truce between the U.S. and China could make early Christmas shopping a better deal for moms around the country," added Bailey. "There's the added pleasure of completing the task ahead of schedule, with more time to enjoy the season."
BSM Media surveyed 500 moms across the U.S. for its survey.
