Mother’s Day is the second largest spending holiday for U.S. consumers, with a reported 2023 spending of $35.7 billion, surpassing even Valentine’s Day. Father’s Day is also celebrated by a majority of U.S. families, and saw record reported spending of $22.9 billion in 2023. For brands, these holidays can be a great time to generate new sales across verticals. Beyond retail and ecommerce, there are significant opportunities to be taken advantage of in hospitality, travel, personal services, and more.
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Opportunities
In 2023, 84% made plans to celebrate Mother’s Day. This holds steady with consistent trends, as this number has never dropped below 83% over the past decade.
- Consumers reported spending over $274 per person on Mother’s Day gifts & celebrations in 2023, more than a 10% increase from 2022.
- Subscription boxes continue to lead gifting options, with 66% of gifters ages 25-44 interested in giving one for Mother’s Day.
A majority of Americans also celebrate Father’s Day, with 75% reporting plans to do so in 2023.
- For Father’s Day in 2023, consumers reported spending $196 per person, totaling a record $22.9 billion in spending.
- Special outings remain a popular gift, with 52% planning to celebrate dad with an experience.
Top Gift Categories for Moms
| Greeting cards | 74% |
| Flowers | 74% |
| Special outing | 60% |
| Gift cards | 54% |
| Clothing and accessories | 48% |
| Jewelry | 44% |
| Personal service | 34% |
| Housewares or gardening tools | 31% |
| Books or CDs | 28% |
| Electronics | 25% |
| Other | 29% |
Top Gift Categories for Dads
| Greeting cards | 61% |
| Clothing | 55% |
| Special outing | 52% |
| Gift cards | 48% |
| Personal care | 32% |
| Electronics | 27% |
| Tools or appliances | 26% |
| Home improvement or gardening tools | 24% |
| Books or CDs | 24% |
| Auto accessories | 24% |
| Sporting goods | 24% |
| Other | 22% |
While there are clearly some perpetual favorites that continue to dominate the top gifting categories for both moms and dads, there’s also a growing share of gift givers focusing on experiences, subscriptions, and services. Advertisers who get creative with their offerings and portray them effectively in a gift-giving context can take advantage of opportunities with those who seek to give mom and dad something unexpected.
It can also be helpful to remember that, while gifts are being purchased for them, advertising to mothers and fathers directly may be a strategically sound move. Moms and dads may be asked for gift ideas for themselves, and many spouses will be helping children shop for another parent. Establishing awareness with these segments centered around holiday messaging can help brands forge a stronger relationship with moms and dads, who may hold a high lifetime value as loyal, repeat customers.
Holidays don’t simply represent a short-term opportunity to drive immediate sales; Family-oriented holidays in particular can be leveraged to build stronger emotional connections and build the kind of long-term affinity that helps generate ongoing growth.
Get the Full Guide
Our Spring Campaign Planning Guide, newly updated for 2024, includes more of these insights as well as a deeper look at the technology and strategies involved in effectively building a campaign that can drive awareness, consideration, and conversions over the time leading up to these important family holidays.
As always, you can reach out at any time if you’d like to explore how AUDIENCEX can help your campaigns deliver real results.
With our diverse expertise across verticals, tech-enabled creative, emergent AI-powered tools and privacy-safe data science, we can help you identify, target, and engage the right audience at the right time. Our teams can help you leverage your seasonal advertising performance into ongoing growth throughout the year, effectively using data and insights to fuel ongoing optimization that can drive results through every touchpoint of the customer journey. We would love to connect and explore how our solutions can be tailored to suit your specific needs.
Source: National Retail Federation, 2023