When developing products, services, or marketing campaigns for mothers, it’s vital to understand what this consumer category now looks like. Mothers are an incredibly diverse group, as exemplified by these statistics:
- In the UK, the average mother’s age at first birth is 29.6
- The most common age to give birth for women born in the 70s was 31
- In the last several decades, the average age of women at first marriage has increased faster than the age of women at first birth
- In the US, the average mother is 26.4 years old when she gives birth for the first time
- As of 2020, half of the women from England and Wales born in 1990 were childless when they reached their 30th birthday
- Nearly four in ten mothers from England and Wales have two children, although one-child families are becoming more common
- The vast majority of mothers feel burnt out at least occasionally, with 16 percent admitting to feeling this way all the time, while 43 percent experience burnout frequently
- Additional emotional support and empathy are urgently required, according to 68 percent of mothers surveyed
- UK women with dependent children had a labor force participation rate of 75.5 percent in 2020
- Among UK men ages 16-24, 22 percent report feeling closer to their mother than their father, versus 11 percent vice versa
A significant share of Mother’s Day expenditures involves retail purchases. These statistics shed light on where consumers allocate their Mother’s Day spending, how much money they set aside for this purpose, and how retailers can leverage these trends:
- The Total Mother’s Day Spending in the US was $28.1 Billion
- In the US, just over two-thirds of people celebrate Mother’s Day
- Of those who celebrate Mother’s Day in the US, 55 percent buy presents, while 41 percent purchase cards
- Online Mother’s Day purchases have grown more popular since the onset of the pandemic, with the percentage of eCommerce growing by 3.6 percent in 2020
- In 2021, over one-quarter of men purchased electronics as Mother’s Day gifts
- Half of the men and nearly half of women bought gift cards for their mothers in 2021
- One-third of mothers claim that they would like to receive gift cards for their special day
- Over one-third of consumers gave their mothers subscription boxes to celebrate Mother’s Day 2021
- While more shoppers still purchase Mother’s Day gifts from department stores, 23 percent now plan to support small businesses when preparing for this holiday
- Consumers use mobile devices 22 percent more often to buy Mother’s Day gifts as opposed to making everyday purchases
- When seeking inspiration for Mother’s Day gifts, 36 percent of consumers search online
Read here more mother's day statistics to plan your marketing strategy effectively this year.