Despite rising living costs and higher interest rates, Australian mums are set to be spoiled this Mother's Day weekend as ANZ reveals customer spending remains resilient year‑on‑year.
ANZ data shows customers spent $592 million nationwide over the Mother's Day weekend last year, exceeding projections and rising 6.6% on 2024 spending ($555 million).
Dining out proved the most popular way to celebrate with $83 million spent at cafes, restaurants and on takeaway, up 10.16% year‑on‑year.
Strong growth was also recorded across a range of traditional gifting categories, including travel services (up 15.0%), watches and jewellery (up 11.9%), and florists (up 7.81%). Spending on welfare and charitable services surged 28%, highlighting a growing focus on giving back.
ANZ Managing Director, Data and Analytics, Joanna Gurry, said the data underscored Australians' enduring commitment to celebrating mums.
"Even amid low consumer confidence, the data is clear: Aussies love to spoil mum. Mother's Day remains a key moment on the retail calendar, with customers showing their appreciation through both traditional gifts and shared experiences.
"The data reveals solid year‑on‑year growth across multiple categories, highlighting that Australians are celebrating mum by dining out as well as purchasing jewellery and flowers. Each of these categories see a clear uplift compared to a normal weekend, delivering a welcome boost for local businesses across the country."
Founder of Daily Blooms, Courtney Ray, said the Mother's Day weekend is consistently one of the busiest times of year for her business.
"Mother's Day delivers around ten times the sales of a normal trading day for us. It's our biggest day of the year and a true all‑hands‑on‑deck effort. Orders start flowing in around two weeks out and build steadily right up to the day.
"Mother's Day is enormous for our business - and for good reason. Mums are superheroes, and we love being part of celebrating them. It's without doubt one of the most exciting and rewarding periods of the year for our team," Ms Ray said.
For the second year in a row, men spent around 5% more overall on Mother's Day, outspending across most key categories, including jewellery, beauty and food and beverage, compared to a normal weekend. By comparison, women spent more on wineries and bottle shops, personal health and beauty, and stationery.
Figures based on ANZ Debit & Credit Card Spend (Domestic & International).
Normal weekend spend is calculated as the average of the two weekends in May following Mother's Day.
