Survey: Most common Mother's Day gift categories include...
Younger consumers are planning to spend the most on Mother’s Day gifts this year.
Gen Z plans to spend an average of $922 total on gifts this year, slightly beating out millennials ($803), and spending far more than Gen X ($311) and baby boomers ($168), according to new research from PwC.
While Gen X (67%) and baby boomers (66%) are sticking to flowers for their partners and wives, Gen Z and millennials are buying a much broader mix of products. Jewelry (60% and 56%, respectively), beauty/personal care products (52% and 44%), gift cards (51% and 43%) and clothing/shoes (50% and 42%) are among the most popular planned purchases.
According to a recent estimate from the National Retail Federation, consumer spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach a record $38 billion this year. The amount tops last year’s total spending of $34.1 billion and exceeds the previous record of $35.7 billion set in 2023.
Roughly three-in-10 (29%) consumers overall use social media to find products or gift ideas, and about 25% plan to use it for purchasing products, according to PwC. Among Gen Z, those numbers rise to approximately 42% for discovery and roughly 48% for purchasing.
On average, suburban consumers plan to spend the most on experiences as gifts ($217), compared to urban ($111) and rural ($32) consumers. Urban consumers are expected to spend the most money on average on physical gifts ($205) and gift cards ($146). This is about twice more than what suburban and rural consumers plan to spend on average for each category.
Additional insights from the survey include the following:
•Millennials plan to spend $120 on average on dining out for Mother’s Day, more than any other generation. Gen Z follows behind at $85.
•Non-parents plan to spend $297 on experiences on average, nearly three times what parents of young kids plan to spend ($104) and 10 times what parents of adult children plan to spend ($30).
•Children under 18 are more likely to buy beauty/personal care products and clothing/shoes for themselves rather than for their own mothers or partners, with approximately 51% and 41% planning to do so, respectively.
•Only about 19% of parents with children over 18 plan to buy themselves beauty/personal care products and only roughly 20% of them plan to buy themselves clothing/shoes.
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“Mother’s Day 2026 is expanding in both scope and meaning,” noted PwC. “While classic gifts like flowers remain central, spending is increasingly driven by younger consumers and parents with children at home, alongside a growing emphasis on self-gifting and experiences. At the same time, social media and AI are reshaping how consumers discover and purchase gifts, particularly among Gen Z. For retailers and brands, the opportunity lies in balancing tradition with more personalized, experience-driven, and digitally enabled offerings.”
