Mother’s Day love: fewer Aussies spending more
Australians are expected to splash $1 billion on Mother’s Day this year, virtually unchanged from a year ago despite tighter household budgets.
A survey by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan reveals 30% of Australians are set to celebrate Mother’s Day, which equates to 7 million people. While that’s 2.7 million fewer people than 2024, the projected average spend is up from $102 last year to $141 this year.
The survey also revealed florists’ retail budgets are blooming, with 37% of respondents saying this will be their gift of choice; 20% will spoil mothers with food and beverages; and just over 10% plan on wining and dining mum, or gifting her an experience such as a trip away.
Other popular gifts include gift vouchers (10%), personal care items (10%), clothing and shoes (9%) and house-related gifts such as homewares and gardening hardware (7%).
ARA Chief Industry Affairs Officer, Fleur Brown said despite Aussies tightening their belts, Mother’s Day remains a sweet spot on the annual retail calendar:
“The past few years of high interest rates and sky-high business costs have hit discretionary retailers hardest, and it’s special spending events like Mother’s Day that help keep the sector resilient,” she said. ‘We’ve also seen Australians lean in and get together around these special events during even the toughest of times.
“This year has seen a significant shift in Mother’s Day spending patterns, which can partially be attributed to the latest Easter in five years which has impacted planning. In this year’s data we can also see the demographics that are feeling the impact of the cost-of-living pressures which are the under 35’s and 35 – 49-year-olds who carry the greatest interest rate pressures.
“Nevertheless, overall it’s a strong result in a tough economic landscape.”
Additional data:
- Under 35’s are 65% down on participation, with 2 million fewer than 2024
- 35–49-year-olds are down 54%, dropping by 1.3 million participants
- 50–64-year-olds are almost unchanged at 1.4 million participants
- Seniors’ participation (65+) has doubled to 1.4 million participants
Media Enquiries:
M 0434 381 670
E media@retail.org.au.
This ARA-Roy Morgan Snap SMS survey was conducted with an Australian-wide cross-section of 3,115 Australians aged 18+ on Thursday April 10 – Wednesday April 23, 2025.
About the Australian Retailers Association (ARA)
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the oldest, largest and most diverse national retail body, representing a $430 billion sector that employs 1.3 million Australians and is the largest private sector employer in the country. As Australia’s peak retail body, representing more than 120,000 retail shop fronts and online stores, the ARA informs, advocates, educates, protects and unifies our independent, national and international retail community. To learn more about ARA’s exclusive member benefits and more, visit retail.org.au
About Roy Morgan
Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers. To learn more visit www.roymorgan.com.
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
