The numbers are in: We love our moms.
U.S. consumers are expected to spend $20.7 billion this year for Mother's Day, according to statistics from the National Retail Federation (NFR). NRF expects those who use gifts to honor the women in their life with May 12, a week from Sunday, to spend more than $168.94.
That's not only up 11 percent from last year, but it's the fourth straight year that Mother's Day spending has increased. That has pulled the biggest spending holiday outside of December squarely back above pre-recession levels.
Mother's Day spending is up more than 41 percent since a recession fueled dip to roughly $14 billion in 2009.
"There’s no question mom will blush over the outpouring of admiration her family and friends want to bestow upon her," said Pam Goodfellow, director of BIGinsight Consumer Insights, which conducted research for NRF.
Everyone knows that when mom's happy, everyone's happy. And that means plenty of opportunities for promotional products providers to be happy, too.
"Mothers are always there for us. But unfortunately, some Mother's Day spending left us for a while. Now that it has returned, promotional product distributors should embrace it," said Eric Alessi, president of promotional products software expert Essent.
Mother's Day spending spans a huge range of industries, and Essent provide a huge range of tools tailor-made for distributors, decorators, and suppliers. NRF expects celebrants to spend $1.7 billion on clothing and accessories for Mother’s Day — and Essent has the perfect fit.
For promotional product distributors the secret is helping their retail customers better promote themselves.
Whether you promote restaurants ($3.5 billion in expected Mother’s Day sales), florists ($2.3 billion), or personal-service providers like spas ($1.5 billion), Customizable, Search Engine Optimized (SEO) ecommerce websites built using SiteBuilder ensure a kiss from those dependable Mother’s Day markets.
The expected electronics sales for Mother's Day, meanwhile, are something every promoter should want to put their arms around. A survey by BIGinsight found consumers will spend $2.3 billion on electronics for mom. That's up 50 percent from last year's $1.6 billion, and the most in the 10-year history of the BIGinsight survey.
"After a long winter that kept many from splurging on any new spring merchandise, retailers are looking forward to opening their doors and surprising shoppers with promotions that are perfect for any gardener, host, fashionista or tech-savvy mom," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.
About a third of Mother’s Day celebrants will shop at department stores; another third at specialty stores like florists and electronics providers; and about another third online, according to NRF.
No matter the venue, Essent promotional products software solutions will help your clients get children and husbands inside the door.