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Executive Summary:
Based on April 2025 data from Prosper Insights & Analytics, and in cooperation with the National Retail Federation (NRF), we present planned Mother’s Day activities.

Mother’s Day continues to hold a strong position in American consumer behavior and retail spending, despite shifts in economic conditions and gift preferences. Key findings from the 2025 survey (n=7,948) include:

Despite inflation and price concerns, the tradition of Mother’s Day remains resilient, with most consumers prioritizing meaningful, unique experiences over lower costs.

 

What Moms (and Shoppers) Want in 2025

By Dr. Martin Block, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University, Retail Analytics Council

Based on April 2025 data from Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 11, 2025) is the third most popular American holiday. Celebrating Mother’s Day is among the topics covered by Prosper Insights & Analytics (www.ProsperInsights.com) in the monthly online surveys that collect data about annual events and related market behavior. Celebrating Mother’s Day was asked in the April 2025 survey (n=7,948). In response to the question, “Do you expect to spend more, the same or less for Mother’s Day than you spent last year?”  Of the total, 16.2% said they don’t celebrate Mother’s Day, leaving 83.8% that do. As shown in Table 1, Mother’s Day ranks between the 4th of July and Easter in popularity.

Table 1: Seasonal Holiday Participation

Percent
Christmas 93.4
4th of July 87.2
Mother’s Day 83.8
Celebrate Easter 80.7
Super Bowl 76.9
Father’s Day 75.3
Halloween 73.1
St. Patrick’s Day 61.9
Valentines Day 52.0

 

Recent Mother’s Day Celebration History

The Mother’s Day celebration rate has decreased slightly over the past eight years, as shown in Figure 1. The rate dropped sharply in 2021 because of COVID-19, and has a slight decrease of -0.20% per year. The rate, however, has increased slightly since then and has now decreased slightly in 2025.

Figure 1: Celebrate Mother’s Day Trends

Celebrate Mother's Day Trends

Celebrating Mother’s Day is more complicated because it can involve different people, and often, more than one person is celebrated as a mother.  Among the 83.8% that say they celebrate Mother’s Day, the average number of recipients is 1.4.  This includes 53.1% who cite only one recipient, 21.3% who say two, and 6.9% who say three or more. The number reporting three or more is down from 10.6% in 2024.  Among those that celebrate, the overall average spending of $259.04 is reported.  This represents a 2.0% increase over 2024 and represents 34.1 billion dollars. Table 2 shows that by far the most common recipient is a mother or stepmother, at 61.6%.  This is followed by a wife at 21.3%.  Celebrating other people, such as a daughter, a sister, or a grandmother, implies more recipients. A grandmother, for instance, is celebrated by 8,5% but is one of 2.6 others.

Table 2: Mother’s Day People Celebrated

Number of
Percent Recipients
Mother or Stepmother 61.6 1.5
Wife 21.3 1.9
Daughter 11.1 2.1
Sister 9.6 2.7
Friend 8.6 2.6
Other relative 7.2 2.0
Grandmother 8.5 2.6
Godmother 2.6 3.3

 

Flowers and greeting cards are the most common items purchased as shown in Table 3. The categories are ranked by how often they are purchased.  Special outings beyond dinner or brunch can include tickets to a concert or sporting event, hot air balloon ride, gym membership, spa service, art or learning classes, etc.  All categories, except greeting cards, have increased over the last eight years, while flowers have decreased since 2023. The approach to spending in 2024 favors spending on experiences rather than on physical gifts. This is reflected in the changes in spending. The sharpest year-over-year percentage decreases are in physical items such as clothing, jewelry, housewares and gardening tools.

Table 3: Planned Mother’s Day Buying

Percent Buying 2024 2025 Year over Year
Flowers 74.3 73.8 -0.7
Greeting card(s) 73.7 72.6 -1.5
Special outing, such as dinner or brunch 59.3 60.6 2.2
Gift Card(s)/Certificate(s) 51.3 53.0 3.3
Clothing or clothing accessories 43.8 47.7 8.9
Jewelry 40.3 41.9 4.0
Personal Service, such as day at a spa, or a massage 31.5 33.5 6.3
Housewares or gardening tools 27.1 28.7 5.9
Books or CDs 23.6 25.6 8.5
Consumer electronics or computer-related accessories 21.0 22.1 5.2
Other 27.3 28.2 3.3

As shown in Table 4, the amount planned to spend is less in every physical gift category compared to last year, except gift cards and special outings. The drop from last year no doubt reflects the current economy. Jewelry is the highest spending item, with a decline of 7.0%. The biggest decline is in consumer electronics.

Table 4: Planned Mother’s Day Spend Amounts

Buyer Spend 2024 2025 Year over Year
Jewelry 131.90 122.68 -7.0
Consumer electronics or computer-related accessories 126.78 110.48 -12.9
Special outing, such as dinner or brunch 75.85 79.48 4.8
Personal Service, such as a day at a spa, a facial or a massage 70.65 70.12 -0.8
Clothing or clothing accessories 52.57 50.29 -4.3
Housewares or gardening tools 49.90 48.51 -2.8
Gift Card(s)/Certificate(s) 47.09 50.54 7.3
Flowers 32.18 32.56 1.2
Books or CDs 24.62 23.95 -2.7
Greeting card(s) 11.06 11.01 -0.5
Other 32.27 31.05 -3.8
Total Spend 254.04 259.04 2.0

 

The overall impact on the economy, multiplying the spending, participation, and population size, provides an estimate of the total economic impact as shown in Table 5.  Mother’s Day contributes $34.1 billion to the U.S. economy, which is up 1.8% from last year.  Flowers, by themselves, contribute $3.2 billion, and greeting cards $1.1 billion.

Table 5: Estimated Economic Impact

Billions 2024 2025 Year over Year
Jewelry 7.0 6.8 -2.9
Special outing, such as dinner or brunch 5.9 6.3 6.8
Consumer electronics or computer-related accessories 3.5 3.2 -8.6
Gift Card(s)/Certificate(s) 3.2 3.5 9.4
Flowers 3.2 3.2 0.0
Clothing or clothing accessories 3.0 3.2 6.7
Personal Service, such as a day at a spa, a facial, or a massage 2.9 3.1 6.9
Housewares or gardening tools 1.8 1.8 0.0
Greeting card(s) 1.1 1.1 0.0
Books or CDs 0.8 0.8 0.0
Total 33.5 34.1 1.8

 

Where celebrators are spending their money is also changing.  Table 6 shows that online is the leading source for gift purchases, with nearly 36%. Online and especially local or small businesses have both increased over the last year.  Specialty clothing stores and department stores are both decreasing.

Table 6: Retail Outlets

Year over
2024 2025 Year
Online 35.4 35.9 1.4
Department Store 32.3 31.6 -2.2
Specialty Store (Greeting Card, Florist, Jeweler, Electronics ) 28.6 28.6 0.0
Local/Small Business 25.5 28.4 11.4
Discount Store 22.5 22.3 -0.9
Specialty Clothing Store 12.4 12.1 -2.4
Catalog 2.0 2.0 0.0

 

Over two-thirds of consumers say they look to the retailer for gift inspiration, as shown in Table 7. This represents a substantial opportunity for the retailer, with 33.9% doing so always or very often.

Table 7: Look to Retailers for Gift Inspiration

          Percent
Always 12.5
Very often 21.4
Sometimes 34.3
Not very often 15.8
Never 16.0

 

What is important to celebrators in purchasing Mother’s Day gifts is shown in Table 8.  The leading reason, at 48%, is finding a gift that is unique or different.  This was followed by finding a gift that creates a special memory at 42%.  Convenience and cost-effectiveness are much lower on the list.

Table 8: Importance in Gift Purchasing

            Percent
Finding a gift that’s convenient for me 24.3
Finding a gift that’s unique or different 47.8
Finding a gift that’s cheaper or more cost-effective 18.9
Finding a gift that creates a special memory 41.8
Other 6.9

 

Jewelry, flowers and consumer electronics are all seen as items that will be more expensive because of tariffs as shown in Table 9. % don’t anticipate gifts being any more expensive.

Table 9: Gifts that will be More Expensive

Percent
Jewelry 39.2
Flowers 34.0
Books or CDs 16.6
Greeting cards 21.3
Consumer electronics or computer-related accessories 40.9
Housewares or gardening tools 25.8
Personal services (such as a day at the spa or a massage) 24.8
Special outing, such as dinner, or fun activity/experience 33.3
I don’t anticipate any gifts being more expensive this year 22.2

 

The two most common ways of dealing with more expensive items are to take advantage of sales and promotions and buy less expensive items, as shown in Table 10. Small proportions report not planning to buy gifts or choosing not to travel for the holiday.

Table 10: Plans if More Expensive

Percent
Take advantage of sales and promotions 41.4
Cutting back on other areas 18.6
Buying gifts for fewer people 12.2
Prepare a meal at home instead of going out to eat 20.9
Not buying gifts 12.9
Using Buy Now, Pay Later 9.6
Buying less expensive gifts 27.0
Making a handmade gift 13.4
Choosing not to travel for the holiday 9.4

 

As shown in Table 11, the economic uncertainty has little impact on celebrating Mother’s Day. Less than 10% say celebrating it is less important.

Table 11: Importance of Celebrating Mother’s Day

Percent
Much more important 15.5
Slightly more important 14.3
Same 60.6
Slightly less important 5.4
Much less important 4.2

 

Mother’s Day Celebrators

Descriptions of who the Mother’s Day celebrators are are shown in Tables 12 and 13.  The comparison is made according to the change in planned spend since last year.  Most of the sample, 83.4%, plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, leaving 15.7% that don’t celebrate as noted earlier.  To facilitate comparison, an index is computed comparing the percentage among those who celebrate to the total.  As shown in Table 12, celebrators are more likely to be male, married and have children.  Having children seems to be the most important predictor.  Those who don’t celebrate are most likely to be divorced, separated, or widowed.  Celebrators also have higher income.

African American, Asian, and Hispanic groups are more likely to celebrate Mother’s Day, as shown in Table 13.  This is especially true among Hispanics, noting the very low index among those who don’t celebrate. Age is also an important characteristic, with the celebrators being highest among Gen-Z and Millennials.  The average age among non-celebrators is nearly 60, compared to the total population of adults at 48.  Non-celebrators are also more likely to live in rural areas.

Table 13: Celebrator Characteristics (Percents)

Don’t Celebrate Total Index
Female 59.6 50.9 52.2 103.2
Married 29.1 42.4 40.3 105.2
Living with Unmarried Partner 5.9 8.7 8.2 106.1
Divorced or separated 19.6 10.7 12.2 87.7
Widowed 10.6 5.1 6.0 85.0
Single, never married 34.8 33.1 33.3 99.4
Children 13.8 36.8 33.2 110.9
Gen-Z 6.6 22.1 19.6 112.8
Millennials 14.9 26.8 24.9 107.6
Gen-X 26.4 27.8 27.6 100.7
Boomers 47.3 21.6 25.7 84.0
Seniors 4.8 1.7 2.2 77.3
age 58.6 46.4 48.3 96.1
income 54.9 68.6 66.5 103.2
African American 11.0 14.5 13.9 104.3
Asian 3.8 5.4 5.1 105.9
Multi-Racial 2.5 1.7 1.9 89.5
White 71.0 59.9 61.6 97.2
Hispanic 8.8 16.6 15.3 108.5
Rural 25.9 22.7 23.2 97.8
Urban 36.8 40.5 39.9 101.5
Suburban 36.3 36.2 36.2 100.0

 

Happiness

Respondents are asked to rate their overall happiness across ten categories on a five-point scale. Table 14 shows the proportion of consumers indicating they are either happy or totally happy. The unmistakable conclusion is that those who plan to celebrate Mother’s Day are happier than those who do not, as shown in the composite average. The biggest differences are in happiness with government, love life, work life, and government as was seen among previous Easter celebrators last month.

Table 14:  Happiness by Mother’s Day Celebration (Percents)

Don’t Celebrate Total Index
Overall 47.0 55.6 54.3 102.5
Government 16.3 26.9 25.2 106.6
Love life 38.8 54.3 51.9 104.7
Work 32.9 44.7 42.9 104.3
Health 46.0 56.8 55.1 103.1
Family 55.7 66.9 65.1 102.7
Religion 51.5 58.5 57.4 101.9
Home life 57.3 65.1 63.8 101.9
Friends 57.9 62.6 61.9 101.2
House 57.3 60.8 60.3 100.9
Neighborhood 56.5 59.5 59.0 100.8

 

Summary

Mother’s Day ranks between the 4th of July and Easter in popularity. Celebrating the day has remained almost flat in the last eight years. Spending, however, is also down, especially for physical gifts. The presence of children, age, marital status and income are the strongest predictors of planning to celebrate. Celebrators are shopping more online and at local businesses. Mother’s Day celebrators are also happier than those who don’t plan to celebrate.

 

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