• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, April 26, 2024

Advertising has an influence on what people buy for Mother’s Day gifts. In a recent study, 44% said they rely on advertising to figure out what gift to buy for Mother’s Day, but the remainder do not.

The data is from a study released by media agency NP Digital. The data shared how Americans plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, as well as their advertising preferences, how much they plan to spend on a gift, and their shopping behavior. 

When asked which type of advertising helps them decide what gift to buy for Mother’s Day, 16% cited social media, while 11% said they turn to online advertising, 6.7% use email marketing, 6.4% browse through online shopping, 5.9% decide through in-store shopping, 21% turn to influencers, and 1.9% rely on commercials.

Consumers have emotional preferences when viewing Mother’s Day ads. Some 25% in the study cited their focus as family bonding, while 25% said happiness, 16% cited gratitude, 15% said love, 13% cited appreciation, 2% said sacrifice, and 1.7% focused on nostalgia. 

NP Digital used Ask Polly to analyze an independent sample of 1,788,839 posts from Twitter, Reddit and TikTok in the U.S. during the period over the last year. Some 96% of the 11.5 million people in the United States indicated they celebrate Mother’s Day. Of those, 62% were women, and 38% were men. 

Some 24% celebrate the day with gifts, while 24% celebrate with family gatherings, 23% make phone calls, and 20% give greeting cards. 

Baby Boomers prefer to celebrate Mother’s Day with gifts at 51%, more than any other generation. That compares with 22% of Millennials, 14% of Gen X, and 13% of Gen Z.

Some 32% of people are going to spend between $101 and $200 for a Mother’s Day gift. About 16% will spend between $301 and $400, while 12% will spend between $201 and $300, 6.7% will spend between $401 and $500, and 7.5% will spend more than $500. About 23.7% do not plan to spend any amount previously noted.

NP Digital used Ask Polly to analyze an independent sample of 1,788,839 posts from Twitter, Reddit and TikTok in the U.S. over the last year.

The data shows 44% of consumers rely on advertising to figure out what gift to buy mom for Mother’s Day, and 75% prefer to buy Mother’s Day gifts from Amazon. Some 92% of people will spend more on Mother’s Day gifts this year compared with last.

Preferences for gives run the gamut. Some 22.8% said they will buy fragrance, while 20% will buy flowers; 10% will turn to fashion; 10%, home goods, 7.6%, beauty products; 5.9%, jewelry, and 23.7% will look to other categories.

When do people shop for Mother’s Day gifts? Some 31% said they will shop during Mother’s Day sales, while 25% said they shop when they something that fits, 18% said they shop one month in advance, 4.7% shop during sales throughout the year, 4.4% wait until the last minute, and 16.9% say they do none of the above.