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What Mom really wants

May 11, 2012

Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the New York City-based

brand and customer loyalty research consultancy polled 5,000 men and

women age 18 to 60 about how they were planning to celebrate Mother's Day.

Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the New York City-based

brand and customer loyalty research consultancy polled 5,000 men and

women age 18 to 60 about how they were planning to celebrate Mother's Day.Nine of 10 plan to celebrate Mother's Day, with total spending

estimated to reach nearly $17.2 billion, according to the annual

survey, and rather than electronics, Mom will be getting back-to-basic

gifts such as brunch and bouquets. Spending is up 10 percent over last

year to an average of $163 this year. Men intend to spend more than

women (an average of $190). Women anticipate spending $136 on Mom.

Here's what they plan to buy (percentages in parentheses indicate

changes from last year): Cards, 97 percent (unchanged); Flowers, 73

percent (+3 percent); Brunch/Lunch/Dinner 60 percent (+2 percent); Gift

Cards, 58 percent (unchanged); Clothing, 42 percent (+6 percent);

Jewelry, 38 percent (+13 percent); Spa Services, 20 percent (+3

percent); Books /e-books, 20 percent (+3 percent); Candy, 5 percent unchanged); and Electronics, 10 Percent (-10 percent)."Last year shoppers went high-tech," said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys

founder and president. "But this year, they're going with more

traditional gifts, including cards, brunch or dinner, flowers, jewelry

and clothing. The shift back is a reflection of last year's purchases

when e-readers, tablets, and smartphones were the gift-of-choice. After

all, no matter how much you love Mom, she doesn't need a new computer or e-reader every year."Meanwhile, MediaPost Engage polled 70 moms on what they wanted to

receive as a gift. Fifty moms said they wanted to spend that time with

their families rather than on their own. When it came to how to spend

family time, 50 percent more moms preferred "just hanging out at home"

(30 moms) to "brunch" (20 moms) as their favorite Mother's Day activity.Moms who preferred to spend time alone opted 2:1 for "doing something

just for me" over "doing nothing but relaxing." For moms who wanted to

do something special for themselves, pampering was the name of the

game: 22 opted for massages, just edging out manicures and pedicures.

When asked what Mother's Day gifts they would most like to receive,

moms chose "help around the house" far more frequently than the alternatives: brunch, dinner, flowers or jewelry.Not a single mom wanted to spend the day "catching up" or "with

friends." Interestingly, only two said they wanted to spend the day

with their own moms. Yet when queried about which moms inspired them

most, 44 cited their own moms, while most others mentioned other family

members and even friends. Celebrity moms – Hillary Clinton, Ann Romney,

Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie -- received a total of 16 votes.

Obama led the pack, while Clinton and Jolie each received one vote. No

votes here for Romney – but with five sons of her own, she won't exactly be lacking for attention on Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!