Caddle, in partnership with Retail Council of Canada (RCC), recently released a survey of Canadians and their shopping intentions for this year’s Mother’s Day.
“In 2024, the trend to celebrate Mother’s Day in Canada is waning slightly, with only 60 per cent planning to observe the holiday, down from 72 per cent the previous year,” said the report.
“Uncertainty about celebrating has increased slightly to eight per cent from six per cent. While 66.5 per cent intend to buy gifts, down marginally from 67.1 per cent, those celebrating are largely looking to match or exceed their previous spending.
“Influence on purchases comes chiefly from family and friends (32.5 per cent) and in-store browsing (23.7 per cent). Other significant factors include in-store displays, flyers, social media, and retailer websites. Dedicated shopping trips for Mother’s Day are up to 60 per cent, and shoppers are clearly looking for value in gift-giving.
“In 2024, almost 90 per cent of Mother’s Day celebrating Canadians aim to increase or maintain their spending compared to last year.”
For many retailers, Mother’s Day is one of those special occasions that can boost business sales.
Olesya Krakhmalyova, company owner of Ladurée Canada, said Mother’s Day is very important for the retailer, which specializes in French pastries and macarons.
“I would say for us Christmas and Valentine’s and Mother’s Day are the top three sales periods over the year. The peak moments,” she said. “ Ladurée is famous for its beautiful gift packaging for macarons and for Mother’s Day specifically we do limited selections to highlight the holiday.”
The company’s exclusive Mother’s Day treats include the Mother’s Day macaron box available from April 26 and the La Vie En Rose cake, available on May 1.
Ladurée is a world-renowned luxury French pâtisserie with a rich history dating back to 1862. In 2016, Ladurée entered the Canadian market with its first location in Vancouver. It has since opened two locations in Toronto at Yorkdale and Exchange Tower. It also has carriage popups at CF Eaton’s Centre, CF Pacific Centre and Vancouver International Airport. In 2023 it opened its Toronto pastry laboratory, its second Canadian pastry making facility.
Krakhmalyova said consumers are concerned with rising prices. She said retailers often don’t have a choice these days in pricing because prices are impacted by the supply chain.
“We’re getting the sentiment that people have been taken aback by this non-stop price increase. But we are a business. And we are also taken aback and concerned with such rapidly increasing costs of doing business. It’s a huge concern,” she said.
Unfortunately for many retailers the increasing costs for a business are not compensated by sales right now.
That’s why many retailers look at special days like Mother’s Day to help boost their sales.
Here are the key findings from the RCC Mother’s Day survey:
- 60 per cent of Canadians plan to celebrate Mother’s Day in 2024, compared to 72 per cent in 2023;
- Eight per cent of Canadians in 2024 are not sure whether or not they will celebrate Mother’s Day. In 2023 only six per cent of Canadians were not sure if they would celebrate;
- This year, 89.7 per cent of Canadians who celebrate Mother’s Day, plan to spend the same or more as compared to last year;
- 74.3 per cent of Canadians expect to spend the same amount of money on celebrating Mother’s Day as they did last year;
- 15.4 per cent of Canadians expect to spend more money on celebrating Mother’s Day than they did last year, while the same number was 14.1 per cent in 2023;
- .This year, 66.5 per cent of Canadians plan to make purchases related to Mother’s Day, in 2023 this number was 67.1 per cent;
- The largest group (17.1 per cent) makes purchases about one week before the holiday;
- 52 per cent of Canadians will plan at least a week before Mother’s Day to make purchases;
- The number of people planning to make same day purchases on Mother’s Day has declined by 1.2 percentage points compared to 2023 with 4.7 per cent;
- 56.2 per cent of Canadians who celebrate Mother’s Day, spend more than $50;
- 43.8 per cent of Canadians spend $50 or less on Mother’s Day;
- This is followed by 33 per cent of Canadians spending between $51-$100, and 12.6 per cent spending between $101-$150 on Mother’s Day;
- The number of people spending less than $50 has declined by 6.1 percentage points compared to 49.9 per cent in 2023;
- More than 70 per cent of Canadians shop in-person at retail stores for Mother’s Day products;
- Around 11 per cent of Canadians go to a retail store’s website;
- Around 10 per cent buy through online sellers;
- 7.3 per cent of Canadians purchase something for Mother’s Day using other means;
- 60 per cent of Canadians make dedicated trips for Mother’s Day products;
- In 2023, 44 per cent of Canadians tacked on Mother’s Day items to an existing shopping trip;
- 60 per cent of Canadians make a dedicated trip for Mother’s Day shopping. The corresponding figure last year was 56 per cent;
- Around one-third of Canadians look for value to show their care while giving Mother’s Day gifts;
- 40.5 per cent of Canadians don’t consider it important to buy known brands for Mother’s Day celebrations; and
- 28.1 per cent of Canadians look for the best value purchase for Mother’s Day.
