Mother’s Day shoppers are poised to spend more than previous years, but they’ll be looking hard at prices and using AI to help decide, according to recent studies.

• US spending for Mother’s Day is expected to reach a record-breaking $38 billion this year, according to an April 2026 NRF and Prosper Insights survey reported in EMARKETER.

For retailers to secure a share of this windfall, they’ll need to lead with price first, and show up in AI discovery tools where decisions are being made by a growing percentage of shoppers.

• Nearly half (49%) of respondents said they now use AI tools regularly for gift recommendations and shopping ideas, according to an April Optimove consumer survey.

Price matters

Shoppers under strain from rising gas prices are cost-conscious when purchasing gifts this Mother’s Day. When asked for the single biggest factor in buying a Mother’s Day gift, respondents cited price (18%) as the third biggest consideration, behind quality (51%) and personalization (22%), according to Optimove.

• 80% said a lower price for a Mother’s Day gift they were planning to buy later would motivate them to buy now.

Retailers should build on trust and quality in messaging for existing customers. However, there is also an opportunity to grow new customer traffic with lower prices.

“Better prices” (44%) was by far the top consideration for consumers selecting a new place to shop, per Optimove. Better product selection came in second at 32%.

And for selecting new brands, price (80%) trailed just behind quality (85%) as top considerations, according to the Optimove study.

This is crucial for retailers attracting new customers, including online merchants. A full 35% of Optimove respondents said they were “very likely” to purchase from a new or unfamiliar online seller. Another 29% said they were “likely” to.

Ahead of Mother’s Day, retailers should make sure their product pages are updated, and consider last-minute in-store deals to attract these customers.

• Nearly one-third (32%) of Mother’s Day shoppers are buying gifts a week out or sooner, per Optimove.

AI and mobile price-checking

Retailers implementing GEO strategies might find more customers using AI for help than in previous years.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for shopping ideas and gift recommendations, according to Optimove. Another 16% haven’t but are open to it.

These AI discovery tools will impact shoppers online. And this year only 27% of shoppers are planning to buy Mother’s Day gifts exclusively in-store, according to Optimove's data. Twenty-six percent are planning to buy online, and 47% plan to shop both online and in-store.

• 81% check prices with a mobile device before buying in-store either often or very often, per Optimove.

Though this Mother’s Day could be the most lucrative ever for retailers, pricing will play a big factor in getting gift buyers into the store, or on their site, and ultimately bringing those gifts to checkout.

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