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It is widely anticipated that consumers will spend approximately $38 billion on Mother’s Day this year, according to the NRF. Here is what consumer-declared data from CivicScience brings to complete the picture, with less than two weeks until the holiday.
Mother’s Day Spending Rebounds From Last Year
Consumers not only report being more likely to buy Mother’s Day gifts this year, but they also anticipate spending more overall. This rise in planned spending is driven entirely by the mid-to-high-end tiers; notably, those intending to spend ‘more than $100’ jumped from 10% to 14% of the population in the last year. What you need to know is that this is more of a return to the baseline than a record-breaking surge, as 2026 numbers stabilize following a frugal 2025 full of tariff-driven uncertainty. This increase in higher-end intent is particularly noteworthy given the current climate of rising prices and budget reductions in areas like travel, suggesting that treating Mom on her day is a protected priority.
Flowers: The Go-To Gift, Plus Other Options That Are Growing Popular
Years of consumer-declared data show flowers as the top planned gift for moms. What’s interesting is the possibility that flowers might be trending down as the primary Mother’s Day Gift option. The likelihood of purchasing flowers on Mother’s Day has decreased by three percentage points between 2023 and today, while intent to purchase clothing, shoes, and accessories is up slightly, reaching its highest level observed in CivicScience data.
In particular, Gen Z gift givers stand out as the most likely age group to plan to spend $100 or more on their mom this year and the most likely buyers of electronics and tickets as gifts.
What Mom Wants Depends on Age
But this is only half of the equation. What do moms themselves have to say? Only 11% of moms tell CivicScience that flowers are what they want the most this Mother’s Day. Perhaps for most moms, receiving flowers has become a standard Mother’s Day practice: the flowers are part of the revelry, but they have something else in mind as a primary gift.
The general population of mothers most desire a meal out with family, or a handmade card or gift from their children. Predictably, age alters these preferences, and the results are noteworthy: older moms (those 45 and older) are most interested in meals out with the family and flowers, while younger moms (under 45) prefer handmade gifts, apparel, or jewelry, and electronics. While it’s unlikely flowers will ever lose their place on Mother’s Day, it is certainly possible that flowers become more of an expectation than the one and only gift in years to come.
While most mothers say their ideal way to celebrate Mother’s Day is spending time with their children and/or partner, younger moms aged 18-44 are over 3X as likely as moms 45+ to say they would like to do something special for themselves.
Selfishness is not the explanation for this disparity: younger moms (18-44) are the most likely age group to say they don’t currently practice any self-care but would like to start. Perhaps Mother’s Day offers a simple way for them to step back from life and get a little ‘me’ time. And younger moms are also extremely inclined to buy their own Mother’s Day gifts this year, possibly for the same reason. More than anything, they need to be refreshed.
Mother’s Day has held to its credo of raising up mothers in all their roles and ensuring they are publicly appreciated. Throughout the years, what mothers need and want has changed with the times, but the sentiment of love and appreciation is still the grounding principle – and hopefully always will be.
