Spending on gifts and outings for Mother’s Day, which is celebrated this year on Sunday, May 13, is expected to reach $33.5 billion, according to the annual consumer survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The figure is the second highest in the history of the survey, following last year’s record $35.7 billion.
In the U.S., 84% of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate the holiday. On average, those celebrating plan to spend $254.04 on Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations, the second highest per-person figure, 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, the survey found.
Most (59%) of those celebrating the holiday are shopping specifically for a mother or stepmother, followed by a wife (22%) or daughter (12%).
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%).
Consumers will spend $7 billion on jewelry, $5.9 billion on special outings, and $3.5 billion on electronics. Additionally, 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.
“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,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Consumers also plan to spend more on special outings than they have in the past.”
This year, online (35%) remains the most popular shopping destination, followed by department stores (32%), specialty stores (29%) and local or small businesses (25%).
