NRF refreshes Graduation Season Data Center for 2026 with interactive spending charts

NRF has rolled out an updated online resource described as an "interactive data hub for graduation gifting and seasonality, refreshed for the 2026 cycle." The hub aggregates NRF’s annual graduation spending survey findings; NRF has run that survey since 2007 and the 2025 survey was conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The 2025 survey data included a clear turnout metric: 36% of respondents plan to buy a gift for a high school or college graduate in 2025, a figure attributed on NRF’s site to the Prosper Insights & Analytics fielding. NRF’s calendar lists a related event, "NRF State of Retail & the Consumer | March 18, 2026 | 1:00 p.m. EDT," where the association may present further seasonal retail context.

Marketing materials repackaging NRF data include spending projections and gift preferences. A Mountain briefing quoting "[Nrf]" states that "Total spending is expected to reach a record $6.8 billion" and that "Once again, cash is the top gift respondents plan to give." The Mountain excerpt does not specify the year for the $6.8 billion figure; the attribution in that document is to NRF but the timing is not explicit.

NRF’s refreshed hub promises interactive charts showing "total spending, average spend per gift-giver, types of gifts consumers plan to buy, and de" — the original report ends mid-sentence with the truncated fragment "and de." The hub’s navigation labels visible in NRF snippets include "Graduation Season Data Center," "Graduation 2025," and prompts such as "See more data," which suggest year-by-year exploration back through the survey series that began in 2007.

Brands and advertisers are already mapping campaign tactics to the hub and to seasonal behaviors. Mountain’s guidance touts "Access over 80,000+ third-party, qualified and in-market audience segments thanks to our integration with LiveRamp and other data providers" and supplies branded-data taxonomies such as "Branded Data > ShareThis > Life Event > University Graduation," "Custom Categories > Graduation Gift Buyers," and "Branded Data > V12 Data > Holiday & Seasonal > Graduation Gift Buyers." Mountain also includes targeting strings for party planners, graduation trips (including a preserved typographic error "gits"), and early-career recruitment audiences tied to Cross Pixel and 180byTwo labels.

Datonics analysis by Toru I. frames the seasonal window and creative approach: "Graduation season in the United States primarily encompasses high school and college graduations occurring in late spring, typically in May and June." Datonics recommends digital, emotional and personalized messaging, noting social media is "pivotal in reaching younger demographics" while email and targeted ads effectively engage parents and family members.

Datonics also supplies personas with specific attributes: the "Proud Parent" is "typically, in the 40-55 age range" and prefers functional gifts; the "Supportive Peer" is "mostly fellow graduates or close friends, aged between 18-25" and favors personalized gifts; the "Affectionate Relative" often opts for cash or convenient personalized items. Reporters and analysts checking the refreshed hub should verify the year tied to the $6.8 billion quote, confirm whether "cash is the top gift" refers to 2025 or another year, and download NRF’s historical series back to the 2007 baseline to track trends.