This Mother’s Day continued a shift seen across retail: more consumers prioritized shared moments, wellness, dining, travel and activities over physical products. While flowers, jewelry and apparel remain popular, the fastest-growing areas of Mother’s Day spending centered around experiences people could enjoy.
Consumer spending on Mother’s Day reached a record $38 billion this year, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation. “Special outings” were projected to account for roughly $6.4 billion in spending, making experiences one of the largest Mother’s Day categories. And 63% of respondents said they planned to give a special outing or experience, such as dining or entertainment.
Last year on Mother’s Day, physical gift purchases were down, while gift card spending rose 7.3% and outings like brunch or dinner rose 4.8% from the previous year. According to the National Retail Federation, Mother’s Day spending averaged over $250 per person.
The change reflects a larger transformation already reshaping retail and consumer behavior: people increasingly value connection, memory-making and time together over the accumulation of more stuff.
The media has rushed to amplify the trend of experience gifting, with publications from Cosmopolitan to Good Housekeeping and CNN offering ideas for how to replace traditional, physical gifts with durable memories.
The Experience Economy Keeps Booming
The experience economy is now estimated to be worth more than $1 trillion globally. That includes everything from wellness services and fitness classes to entertainment, hospitality and immersive retail.
Brands across industries are adapting:
- Fitness brands expand beyond apparel into classes and wellness experiences;
- Beauty companies offer treatments and self-care packages; and
- Retail marketplaces integrate reservations, digital bookings, memberships and experience-based gift cards alongside physical goods.
Consumers also purchase experiences differently than they once did. The discovery happens digitally, but the value is delivered offline.
Someone might book a spa treatment through an app, buy concert tickets via social media, reserve a wine tasting online or purchase a wellness membership through a digital marketplace. While the transaction starts online, the actual gift becomes time spent together, relaxation and/ or a memorable event.
Seeking More Meaning
The growing preference for experiences is tied to something deeper than trends. Many consumers crave more in-person connection, presence and emotional meaning. Harvard professor and happiness expert Arthur Brooks has detailed extensively how strong in-person relationships and shared experiences are central to long-term happiness and fulfillment in life.
Experiences create stories, memories and emotional connection in ways physical products often cannot. Studies additionally show that the anticipation of experiences is often more enjoyable than the experience itself.
Popular Mother’s Day experiences this year included:
- Spa days
- Wine tastings
- Cooking classes
- Concerts
- Wellness or class memberships
- Outdoor adventures like kayaking or paddleboarding
- Family photo sessions
- Travel and weekend getaways
The Digital Infrastructure Behind Experience Gifts
Technology has made giving experiences dramatically easier and more scalable than before. Today’s digital services allow consumers to send gifts instantly, schedule experiences flexibly, personalize recommendations through algorithms and redeem bookings seamlessly through QR codes, apps and mobile wallets.
Gift cards have evolved alongside this shift. Once criticized as impersonal, they now are understood as gateways to experiences like restaurant groups, travel platforms, wellness services, fitness memberships and entertainment providers.
A Bank of America survey found that 96% of surveyed consumers are happier or equally satisfied with gift cards when compared with physical gifts. Another report from the National Retail Federation found that gift cards are regularly the most popular item on consumers’ wish lists.
Why This Trend Matters
This is bigger than Mother’s Day. Consumer preferences are steadily moving toward experiences, particularly among Millennials and younger families. Over three-quarters of Millennials say they would rather spend money on a meaningful experience than a material item. Nearly eight in 10 say some of their best memories are from an experience.
That shift shapes retail itself. Experiential retail, hospitality-driven commerce, wellness ecosystems and hybrid digital-physical consumer experiences are becoming core growth strategies across industries. As consumers continue to crave tactile, meaningful experiences and connection, 72% of total U.S. retail sales are estimated to happen in-person by 2028.
This Mother’s Day highlighted that reality clearly: increasingly, the gifts people want are time together, meaningful connection and an experience worth remembering.
Image via Unsplash.