75 per cent of Canadians to make purchases to celebrate Mother's Day

A new survey by the Retail Council of Canada finds that 75 per cent of Canadians plan to make purchases to celebrate Mother’s Day and many hope to give those gifts in person.

“Certainly we were in a lockdown last year and a number of people want to return to in-person gathering. They want to be able to hug and kiss," said Michelle Wasylyshen, with the Retail Council of Canada.

The survey found that many celebrations this Sunday will revolve around food, with spending on food and restaurants in top place at 43 per cent. Health and beauty gifts such as manicures and massage were in second place at 22 per cent.

Gifts of clothing came in at 19 per cent, home décor at 18 per cent, cooking tools at 13 per cent and books and music at 10 per cent.

For many it’s the thought that counts, with 51 per cent spending $50 or less. Thirty per cent will spend $50 to $100, 10 per cent $100 to $150 and 9 per cent more than that on their mother.

According Wasylyshen, many people are also now returning to in-person shopping and want to shop with local retailers.

“We see people wanting to get back out into the stores and supporting retailers who have suffered during the pandemic and while online shopping is still important we know people want to return to bricks and mortar stores,” said Wasylyshen.

Along with dining out, clothing and flowers, gift cards also remain a popular present allowing moms to decide what they want for themselves.