Mums to be spoiled on Mother’s Day with $754 million to be spent on gifts

Australians are set to spend $754 million on Mother’s Day gifts with flowers, alcohol, food and clothing 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 $80, with 90% planning to spend the same or more than they did last year.

Flowers are set to be the most popular gift, mentioned by 34% of Australians surveyed, followed by alcohol and food (23%) and clothing, shoes and sleepwear (mentioned by 11% of Australians).

Around a quarter of Australians (24%) will be purchasing gifts for people who aren’t their birth mother, including mothers-in-law, wives or partners and other family members.

ARA CEO Paul Zahra said retailers have already begun promoting their Mother’s Day offers and are set to capitalise on what’s a key event on the retail calendar.

“With just two weeks to go till Mother’s Day, Australians are set to flock to the shops and head online for gifts for mum, with $754 million to be spent on presents, and not surprisingly, flowers top the list with champagne and chocolates also set to be popular gifts,” Mr Zahra said.

“Whilst it’s an important day to celebrate the immense contribution of mums and the sacrifices they make, Australians will also use the day to acknowledge other significant people in their lives. Around one in four people will purchase gifts for people who are not their birth mothers, including mothers-in-law, wives or partners and other family members.

Mother’s Day celebrations have expanded beyond traditional gift-giving for birth mothers, and people are now using the day to acknowledge others who have taken on this important role in their lives.

“Despite ongoing cost of living pressures, retail sales remain strong in Australia and continue to be spurred along by key retail events with Easter providing a boost to food retailers and businesses in popular tourist destinations as people got away for the holidays.

“More than $7 billion was forecast to be spent on trips away over Easter, and $1.5 billion was set to be spent on food and chocolates – and now with Mother’s Day just around the corner, retailers are now gearing up for the next big event on the retail calendar.”

The ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 1,162 Australians aged 18+ on Tuesday April 12 - Wednesday April 13, 2022.

Media Enquiries: 
Dominic Cuschieri 
M 0418 224 072 
E dominic.cuschieri@retail.org.au

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