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New Study Reveals What Moms Actually Want on Mother's Day - And Many of us May Actually be Getting it Wrong

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Thursday, May 2nd, 2024

As we enter May and plan how to celebrate the important women in our lives, CardSnacks, the leading AI-powered ecard and gifting platform has shared surprising insights from moms about what they truly desire on their special day. CardSnacks and Prodege teamed up to survey 1,000 mothers to learn how they really feel about traditional gestures of love and appreciation.

 According to the survey, 71% of moms feel it is the thought that counts rather than the gift itself. And getting the wrong gift will most likely not have negative consequences - you probably won't even know that you did. 87% of moms would pretend they liked a gift even if they didn't. And just 7% of moms said they would be insulted if their kids got them an item of clothing that was sized too big. 

But while it's the thought that matters, the truth is that for Mother's Day gifting, moms would actually prefer to take matters into their own hands. Contrary to popular belief, the most desired gift by moms on Mother's Day are gift cards, outpacing both flowers and jewelry. Fully 96% of moms believe a gift card is an appropriate Mother's Day gift. And it's not just kids who are expected to give mom a gift – 63% of moms expect gifts from their significant other as well.

An insight that may (or may not) be surprising – more than two-thirds of moms feel it is NOT important at all to be recognized on social media despite this being one of the primary ways most millennials and Gen Z children choose to appreciate them. Instead 2.5x more moms reported that they would appreciate a more personalized method of recognition like a heartfelt card or ecard.

In general, 75% of moms look forward to Mother's Day, although this number decreases as they or their children get older. For moms who do not look forward to Mother's Day, the majority cited the absence of their own mothers particularly if they have passed away as the primary reason for their lack of enthusiasm. This suggests that the holiday holds generational significance for most moms.

Furthermore, being with family is by far the most preferred activity for moms on Mother's Day. Having dinner or brunch with their children is most desired. Working, playing a sport or exercising, and cooking are among the least desired activities. And while in general moms may love watching their kids play sports, on Mother's Day they want a break. Fully 59% of moms do not wish to watch youth sports on Mother's Day.

To see more exclusive findings from this survey, visit www.cardsnacks.com/pages/mothers-day-facts