Mother’s Day spending projected to hit record $38 billion
Jewelry led Mother’s Day spending at $7.5 billion, but flowers and cards still dominated as the average shopper budget rose to $284.25.
Jewelry was projected to lead Mother’s Day spending at $7.5 billion, but the sharper story was how many buyers still stayed in familiar territory. The National Retail Federation said 84% of U.S. adults planned to celebrate, and the average shopper expected to spend $284.25, a sign that the holiday still rewards a mix of sentiment and restraint.
The National Retail Federation’s annual survey, conducted with Prosper Insights & Analytics since 2003, put total Mother’s Day spending at a record $38 billion. That would top last year’s $34.1 billion and beat the previous high of $35.7 billion set in 2023. Mark Mathews said consumers were “gifting from the heart” despite economic uncertainty, while Phil Rist said shoppers were budgeting more and planning to shop across more gift categories.
The safest places to spend were still the most familiar ones. Flowers ranked as the most popular planned purchase at 75%, followed closely by greeting cards at 74%. Special outings such as dinner or brunch came next at 63%, gift cards at 55% and clothing or clothing accessories at 51%. In dollar terms, shoppers were expected to put $6.4 billion toward outings, $4.4 billion toward electronics, $3.2 billion toward flowers and $1.3 billion toward greeting cards. That mix points to a clear buyer’s map: flowers and cards for the classic, low-risk gesture, outings for the shared experience, and jewelry for the category where shoppers are most willing to pay for something lasting.
The spending split also showed who was leaning hardest into the holiday. Men planned to spend an average of $346 per person, compared with women’s $225, and Millennials were expected to spend the most. Online and department stores were tied as the leading shopping destinations at 33% each, followed by specialty stores at 29% and discount stores at 26%, a spread that suggests convenience still matters almost as much as sentiment.
Mother’s Day began with a church service in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908 and became a national holiday in 1914 after Woodrow Wilson’s proclamation. Anna Jarvis later pushed back against the commercialization she helped set in motion, but the modern holiday still follows her original script: choose carefully, spend with intention, and make the gesture feel personal enough to last beyond the day itself.
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