Mums set to be spoiled as Mother’s Day spend approaches $1b
Australians are set to spend $925 million on Mother’s Day this year – up $166 million from 2022 – with flowers, alcohol, food and gift cards topping the gifts for mum, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in collaboration with Roy Morgan.
People who plan on buying a gift will spend an average amount of $92 each (up from $80 in 2022), with 84% planning to spend the same or more than they did last year.
The most popular gifts are tipped to be:
Alcohol/food: mentioned by 17 percent of respondents.
Flowers: mentioned by 16 percent.
Gift card/vouchers: mentioned by 7 percent.
Homewares: mentioned by 6 percent.
Clothing: mentioned by 6 percent.
Nearly half of all Australians aged 18+, 10.1 million, say they plan to buy gifts for someone for Mother’s Day. About a quarter (24 percent) of people who purchase a present will be gifting to somebody other than their birth mother. This includes their partner, friend, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister and daughter.
About one fifth of Australians will celebrate the occasion with a meal at a café or restaurant (19 percent), while 38 percent of Aussies will spoil mum with a feast at home.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said most retailers are already promoting their Mother’s Day and are preparing to relish a key event on the retail calendar.
“With just over two weeks until Mother’s Day, Australians are set to open their wallets and their hearts. Amid ongoing cost of living pressures, many will be making an exception to spoil their mums – or in some instances other special people in their lives,” Mr Zahra said.
“It’s an important milestone to celebrate the immense contribution of mums and the sacrifices they make, but many Australians also take the opportunity to show their appreciation for their partners, caregivers, and other family members.
“With an occasion such as Mother’s Day, we typically see shoppers becoming more selfless. While people may be reluctant to spoil themselves due to the high costs of living, they’re still enthusiastic to splash out on loved ones.
“A lot of Aussies will likely opt to arrange a family feast, which will certainly provide much-needed boost for food and hospitality businesses.”
** The ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 1,681 Australians aged 18+ on Thursday April 13 - Tuesday April 18, 2023..
Media Enquiries:
M 0434 381 670
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
