Aussies tipped to spend $733m on Mother’s Day

Matthew Elmas

9th May 2018

Traders could be in for a $733 million Mother’s Day boost next week, although Aussies appear to have been more interested in Valentine’s Day last month.

Finder.com.au has released a survey of 2,085 Australians who have said they plan on spending an average of $75 on gifts for their mums this year.

Although the findings indicate that shoppers will spend around 25 per cent less on mum than they did on Valentine’s Day last month.

Bessie Hassan, a money expert with finder.com.au, said it was unusual for Mother’s Day to trail behind Valentine’s Day.

“It’s unusual to see more emphasis on Valentine’s Day, but to some extent, wrong or right, mothers are often happy with less tangible tokens of appreciation,” she said.

28 per cent of survey respondents said they don’t celebrate Mother’s Day, while eight per cent said they will spend time with or talk to their mums instead of buying gifts.

For those doshing out, sons apparently plan on spending an average of $66 dollars compared to $55 dollars by daughters.

New South Wales tops the states, with an average planned spend of $68, compared to nearly half that in Tasmania ($36).

Retailers are already ramping up sales ahead of Mother’s Day, which will be celebrated on May 13.

Department Stores have already rolled out Mother’s Day promotions. Myer has swiped 20 per cent off experiences its selling on its Marketplace via RedBalloon, while also taking 25 per cent off a range of women’s sleepwear, slippers and boots.

David Jones has released a tailored Mother’s Day catalogue but copped some flack on social media over the weekend for what it admitted were “cliched choices” after being criticized for showcasing kitchen and cleaning appliances.