While iPads and smartphones were the rage during holiday time, mom shouldn't expect one for Mother's Day. According to the survey from PriceGrabber, only 13 percent of consumers plan to buy a tech-type gift for Mother's Day this year, with most sticking to traditional offerings.
According to a survey of 4,296 U.S. consumers, 43 percent listed flowers as the type of gifts they plan to purchase for Mother's Day. Second was gift cards (22 percent), then apparel and accessories (17 percent), and then jewelry (15 percent). Another 15 percent were looking at an experiential gift such as going to dinner, a vacation or a show.
The low likelihood of a tech purchase was highlighted as an irony of sorts in a few tech blogs. According to the PriceGrabber survey, of those expecting to buy mom a high-tech gift, 51 percent planned to buy a tablet, followed by smartphone (22 percent), and a computer and an e-reader, both at 15 percent.
Part of the problem is that sixty-two percent of respondents planned to spend less than $100 when shopping for Mother's Day gifts. Twenty percent planned to spend between $100 and $249 on gifts, and eight percent more than $250. Ten percent had no budget.
National Retail Federation's survey of 8,724 consumers with the help of BIGinsight found that Mother's Day spending would rise to $18.6 billion in 2012, with the average person expected to spend $152.52 on gifts this year, up from $140.73 last year. The survey likewise found that the most popular buys were likely to be flowers, listed by 66.4 percent of respondents, with clothing and accessories at 32.8 percent. Only 12.7 percent said they would buy electronics.
With the question apparently framed differently, 54.3 percent of all celebrants said they would treat mom to a nice dinner or brunch, with gift card purchases and personal services, such as a trip to a day spa, coming in lower in the responses, according to the NRF survey.
An article in Adweek noted that the American publlc is starting to expand its horizons on what's appropriate for Mother's Day gifts with a "growing preference for gifts that are participatory, handmade or perhaps even geared toward social change."
Cloud 9 Living is advertising bull-riding lessons, a "Cardio Strip Tease Dance Package," and a chance to take mom on a ride in a fighter jet. Said Cloud 9 Living's VP Bobby Augst, "Mom doesn't remember the flowers you gave her a few years back but she'll never forget this."
- Sixty-two Percent of Consumers Will Find the Perfect Mother's Day Gift for Less Than $100 This Year, According to PriceGrabber Survey - PriceGrabber/PRNewswire/MarketWatch
- Gas Prices No Match When It Comes To Mom - National Retail Federation
- This Year, Give Mom a Dogfight Forget the flowers -- innovative brands are putting an experiential spin on Mother's Day - Adweek
- Consumers Make Up For Lost Time This Father's Day As Spending Jumps - National Retail Federation