For Immediate Release: May 10, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015
ATLANTA, GA – The Georgia Retail Association (GRA), the voice of Georgia retailing for more than 50 years, is expecting record breaking spending for moms in 2017. Mother’s Day shoppers will shower their mothers by spending an average of $186.39—up significantly from last year’s $172.22 average. Total spending on this year’s holiday is expected to reach $23.6 billion.
“We are extremely encouraged by the record high projections for Mother’s Day shopping this year. The retail industry continues to be reassured by a strengthening economy and, as this survey shows, increasing consumer confidence,” stated R. Scott Shalley, CEO and President of the Georgia Retail Association. “Our retailers continue to rise to meet the demands of their consumers and that will be no different this year as they prepare for this exciting and busy shopping holiday.”
According to GRA's partners at the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, this year's per person spending is the highest in the survey’s 14-year history. Consumers plan on spending $5 billion on jewelry, $4.2 billion on special outings such as dinner or brunch, $2.6 billion on flowers, $2.5 billion on gift cards, $2.1 billion on clothing, $2 billion on consumer electronics, and $1.9 billion on personal services. The most significant increases from last year are in jewelry spending, which is up 19%, and personal services which are up 15%.
The survey also found a difference in shopping habits based on the age of both the consumer as well as the recipient. For example, “gifts of experience,” such as tickets to a concert continue to be on the rise with 28% desiring such gifts and nearly half of the consumers surveyed under age 35 plan on giving such a gift. According to the survey, 35% of consumers will head to department stores, and 31% will shop at specialty stores such as florists, jewelers, or electronic stores, while 24% will shop at a small local business. As for online shopping, the survey found that 30% of consumers are expected to shop online, which is up from 27% last year.
The survey asked 7,406 consumers about their Mother’s Day plans and was conducted April 4-11. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
ABOUT THE GEORGIA RETAIL ASSOCIATION
Since 1961, the Georgia Retail Association has been working on behalf of the retail community to unite and pursue the common goal of creating the best environment for retailing in Georgia. Retail supports 1 out of 4 jobs in the state and is directly and indirectly responsible for 78% of Georgia's gross domestic product. The Georgia Retail Association is a division of the Florida Retail Federation.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants, and Internet retailers from the United Sates and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs—42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retails is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.