Mother’s Day isn’t just another Sunday in May. It’s the emotional Olympics of retail. Shoppers are out here buying for moms, stepmoms, grandmas, wives, sisters, friends, and sometimes themselves — all in one go. 🥇🌸And this year? It’s a little louder. A little faster. A lot more everything.
Search interest for Mother’s Day has spiked 586% quarter-over-quarter, and the rush is on. If you’re not already planning your move… you’re about to get buried under a pile of flower ads and brunch promos.
But here’s what most marketers miss: Mother’s Day is just the first spark. The same energy driving this moment — urgency, emotion, connection — is about to power every spring milestone. Father’s Day. Graduations. Weddings. Summer sales. All of it.
So, we built you a Mother’s Day playbook. But it’s really a spring marketing guide in disguise. 😎 Let’s get into it.
1. Mother’s Day Spending Will Hit $34.1 Billion — and That’s Just the Opening Act
Let’s start with the big one. Spending for Mother’s Day is expected to hit $34.1 billion this year, with an average of $259 per celebrant, according to National Retail Federation.
But here’s the real story: Of the big four retail spending events – Back to College, Back to School, Winter holiday shopping, and Mother’s Day – the latter of the two are driven by emotional gifting. We saw with last season’s winter holiday shopping, two-thirds of people were willing to go into debt to make their holiday season special for their loved ones.
For Mother’s Day, that’s not the play, but the emotional load of Mother’s Day is heavy for shopper – 31.5% of shoppers spend more on Mother’s Day than they do Father’s Day, according to The Shelf’s Mother’s Day Insights 2025 Report.
Emotional gifting seasons like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Graduation are where wallets open wide — and buyers crave experiences, meaning, and memory-making.
Action:
Build your offers, campaigns, and bundles around emotional drivers, not just discounts. This isn’t a Mother’s Day move — it’s your blueprint for every sentimental holiday of the year.
2. 84% of Americans Plan to Celebrate (And They’re Not Just Buying for Mom)
Mother’s Day isn’t a single-person event. Neither is Father’s Day. Or graduation. Across these emotional shopping holidays, buyers widen their circles — shopping for moms, grandmas, wives, friends, aunts, teachers.
Action:
Stop thinking about seasonal marketing as one persona, one message. Expand your ad creative and targeting to cover emotional ecosystems. (Translation: Don’t just talk to Mom. Talk to the whole village.)
3. Search Surges Are the Springtime Stampede You Have to Catch
Our Insights team discovered search interest around Mother’s Day jumped 586% quarter-over-quarter — and guess what? Father’s Day, graduation season, and even summer sales show similar spike patterns.
Action:
Keep one eye on your current campaign and but prepare for what’s next. The spring holidays tend to come in fast and furious, a few weeks apart before the summer reprieve. Treat spring search surges like a sprint:
- Refresh SEO early. And yes, that’s still a thing.
- Lock in landing pages by 30 to 60 days out, if you can. Father’s Day and Independence Day funnels? Already locked and loaded.
- Keep retargeting campaigns spring-loaded for May-June-July pivots.
If you’re waiting until “Gift Ideas for _______” ads show up, you’re already behind the ball.
4. Moms (and Dads) Want Time, Not Trinkets
When asked what they really want, 61% of moms said quality time with the kids. Dads say the same thing around Father’s Day.
(Sensing a pattern yet?)
Action:
Marketing that sells moments will always beat marketing that sells things. Frame your product as the catalyst for connection — not just a line item on a receipt.
(And pro tip: this angle prints money for EVERY emotional holiday, not just Mother’s Day.)
👩🏽👧 Ready to go even deeper? Our Insights team has you covered.
Download our full Mother’s Day 2025 Insights Report.
5. Local Love Is Stronger Than You Think
A quarter of Mother’s Day shoppers (25%) said they’ll shop local small businesses this year. And spoiler: that loyalty isn’t seasonal. Local matters every holiday, every launch, every “just because” gift cycle.
Action:
Secure and highlight local partnerships. Geo-target your ads. Even if you’re a national brand, build campaigns that feel rooted in communities, not just warehouses.
6. 70% of Special Occasion Shoppers Say Price Decides It All
Budget is the uninvited guest at every holiday party. Seven in ten shoppers say price is the thing that drives their special occasion purchases, according to YouGov.
And that’s not just a Mother’s Day thing. (Hello, Father’s Day, back-to-school, Labor Day sales…)
Action:
Create bundles that feel high-end but stay price-accessible. Launch loyalty perks. Reward last-minute buyers with feel-good offers that protect their wallets and their dignity.
7. UGC (User Generated Content) > Corporate Voice
Authenticity crushes polish in seasonal campaigns.
It feels real. It feels human.
Action:
Leverage UGC heavily:
- Unboxings.
- Mother’s Day surprise reveals.
- Home videos.
- Mini vlogs.
(Father’s Day, Pride Month, Graduation — it all works here too.)
8. Special Outings Are Crushing Gift Boxes
About six in ten shoppers this year say they want to take Mom out — brunches, concerts, museum trips. This is in line with what we’ve seen in previous years as well.
(Reminder: This “experience over product” trend spills into Father’s Day, Graduation, and even Back-to-School gifts.)
Action:
If you’re a brand that can enable experiences (even adjacent ones), market the moment first, the merch second.
9. Emotional Anchoring Outperforms Flash Sales
Our market intelligence team keeps seeing it: messaging that leads with “what it means,” not “what it costs,” wins loyalty long after the holiday confetti falls.
Action:
Anchor your campaigns in emotion: gratitude, nostalgia, connection, and humor. Price still matters, but meaning is what closes deals.
(And spoiler: this move works for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, engagement season… you name it.)
10. Spring Holidays Create Ripple Effects for Summer Loyalty
Mother’s Day isn’t a one-and-done campaign — it’s a gateway for ongoing loyalty.
Action:
Capture buyers now. Set loyalty offers or content drips that invite them back for Graduation, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July. (Play chess, not checkers.)
11. Instagram and Pinterest Are STILL the Secret Weapons
According to our latest market intelligence, Pinterest still owns seasonal discovery (especially Mother’s Day and summer gifting). Instagram? Still a beast for emotional storytelling and influencer magic.
Action:
Lean into “how it feels” creative. Let Story-driven Reels power your Mother’s Day Instagram campaigns. Gift guides built like Pinterest boards. Light product seeding that leads with life moments, not product features.
12. Consumers are Hunting for Ideas — Not Just Products
We recently published a post on Lore after our Insights team called out the Personal Lore / Core trend on IG and TikTok. And what we know for sure: today’s buyer isn’t opening their wallet until they see the story.
Action:
Frame your campaigns so they offer inspiration and idea-starters:
- “How to Spend a Perfect Mother’s Day Outdoors”
- “Self-Care Rituals for Mom That Last Beyond May”
- “Graduation Celebrations that Make a Mark”
Be the brand that gives them the idea — and you’ll get the sale, too.
13. Procrastinators Are Predictable… and Profitable
We love last-minute buyers. Many of us are, in fact, last-minute buyers. Messy, desperate, and nearing the point where you’re ready to throw cash at the problem.
Action:
Design a last-minute ad surge plan for every emotional shopping season:
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Graduation
- Holiday Panic Season (to hone your chops for the inevitable December 19–24 frenzy)
(Reminder: Waiting shoppers = your highest-margin play if you prep for them.)
14. Gen Z Is Pulling Away from Traditional Gifts
Younger buyers (18–29) prefer experiences, donations, personal creations, and small-batch or local gifts over “basic” merchandise. And it’s essentially the same pattern for graduation, Father’s Day, and Pride Month
Action:
Brands that show ethical sourcing, creator partnerships, community connection? You win Gen Z’s wallet — and their heart.
15. Reviews and Word-of-Mouth Are Spring’s Silent Closers
Especially for emotional holidays, consumers trust peer reviews, influencer voices, and friends’ posts over polished ads.
Action:
Elevate real voices:
- Feature customer stories.
- Spotlight small creators.
- Let others sell the story for you.
It’s not humble-bragging if someone else does it. 😉
16. Emotional Deadlines = Conversion Fuel
Mother’s Day may have a hard deadline (May 11th), but buyers feel the emotional deadline sooner. (Graduations, weddings, Father’s Day — same deal.)
Action:
Create countdown content, urgent social posts, “Last Chance” email flows. Frame it as “don’t miss making a memory” not just “buy this thing fast.“
(**Emotion + scarcity = magic.*)
17. Gift Cards Are the Unsung Heroes of Spring Shopping
Gift cards are STILL a top gift choice — especially when panic sets in.
Action:
Position gift cards as thoughtful, not lazy.
(“Give her a pick-your-perfect-day” > “We didn’t know what you wanted.”)
(**This gift card strategy crushes for late Father’s Day and back-to-school shopping too, btw.*)
18. Mobile-First = Marketing-First
Our traffic intel shows mobile shopping surges 2-3x during emotional shopping events.
Action:
Prioritize mobile landing pages.
One-click checkout.
Quick-load galleries.
No friction, no forms, no failure.
If it’s not tappable in 3 seconds, you’re invisible.
19. TikTok Isn’t Just for Trends — It’s for Gifting Discovery
Gen Z and Millennials use TikTok to find everything from skincare to brunch ideas to last-minute Mother’s Day gifts.
(And yes, this absolutely bleeds into every other gifting holiday.)
Action:
If your brand isn’t TikTok-visible, start with creator partnerships around storytelling and “how I surprised my mom/sister/grandma” moments.
20. The Real Gift is Connection (and Good Marketers Never Forget That)
At the end of the day, emotional shopping seasons aren’t about stuff.
They’re about feeling seen, remembered, loved.
Action:
Whatever you’re selling, make sure your campaigns honor the human moment first.
- A thank-you.
- A memory.
- A quiet little miracle.
If you anchor there, you win. Not just for Mother’s Day — but every day after.
Final Takeaway: Spring Is More Than a Moment
Mother’s Day kicks off more than just a few brunch plans and flower deliveries. It’s the emotional start of a spring season packed with moments that matter — for shoppers, and for the brands that show up right.
The insights we shared here aren’t just about Mother’s Day. They’re the blueprint for how emotional connection, strategic timing, and trust-building will define success across every spring milestone — from Father’s Day to graduation season and beyond.
Stay ready. Stay sharp. Stay ahead.
