NEW STUDY SHOWS WHAT MOMS Really WANT ON MOTHER’S DAY
This Mother's Day, you've got no excuses. If there's anything in surplus right now, it's time – time to think about mom and how to make her day as special as ever. You know what else you have this year? Data. Last week, we surveyed more than 2,000 moms across America, to understand exactly what they want from their families this Mother's Day. In a few minutes, you'll be fully equipped to make data-based decisions where it counts the most.
What do moms want this year? In a nutshell, they want to spend quality time with their family at home, with a little time outdoors and a little time to themselves (maybe to sleep in – hint, hint). They want to watch TV/movies and play games. Dinner is the meal to make special, but they don't want anything fussy – takeout or delivery from a familiar restaurant is perfect, and wine or champagne are the drinks of choice. If you're going to give a gift, your best bet is a gift card for an experience, like a spa or restaurant. And, of course, key things to avoid: don't leave mom any chores, don't ask her to cook, and no whining, crying or fighting!
Now, let's get to the details. Better read carefully, there's a quiz coming soon.
The good news: 85% of moms want to spend at least some time with us on Mother's Day – we've not yet worn out our welcome. And quality time with family is dramatically more important than gifts, so keep that in mind. It might be easy to get flowers and call it a day but moms are loud and clear on this – they want your time and attention.
It's important to get the balance right for the day and give Mom some control. Seventy percent of moms want the freedom to do whatever they please with the day, versus 30% who want everything planned for them. Also, 71% of moms would prefer being pampered and waited on by their family, rather than being left alone to relax.
Obviously this Mother's Day will be unique given the coronavirus crisis. There will surely be limitations to what mom can do and who she can see. All the more reason for you to get creative and make this year's celebration memorable for good reasons, not its challenges.
Food and drink are big parts of any celebration and Mother's Day is no exception. But it's not as simple as serving burnt pancakes to Mom while she's still in bed. While that may be adorable, make this the year you let the data guide you.
As it turns out, dinner is the most important meal on Mother's Day! And, while 39% appreciate a home-cooked meal, a majority would prefer you outsource the labor (there's no better time to do so, in support of a restaurant industry enduring a historic struggle). Restaurants, take note: tweak your to-go menus to have a dinner focus that will delight moms. It's not all about brunch.
Anyone looking to order delivery or takeout on Mother's Day or get a gift card for a future visit to a restaurant, keep this in mind: moms prefer local. Seventy-eight percent of moms prefer local restaurants over large chains. Also, given the choice between a meal of guilty pleasures and a healthy meal on Mother's Day, indulgence wins (64% prefer to indulge versus 36% who prefer to eat healthy).
A note on drinks: coffee and tea options were both among the top five choices, amounting to 31%, with coffee accounting for 19% and ranking as the most selected option. That said, wine and mimosas were just behind coffee and combined for 33% of the total votes. So what's the game plan? Line up mom's favorite coffee drink for the morning and pop a bottle of wine in the evening! Restaurants, be thinking about creative coffee tie-ins with your to-go brunch options.
A final consideration before you run off to plan the best Mother's Day yet. Don't just think about what you can add to the day, but also what you can subtract. Moms have a lot of responsibility and put up with a lot from their families. We asked moms what they'd like to have eliminated from their routines on their special day. Cleaning tops the list, followed by cooking, followed by fights and crying. Go ahead and challenge yourself this year, see if you can spare mom everything on the list, top to bottom. Good luck!
Methodology
On April 17-20, 2020 we surveyed 2,009 American moms about their wishes for this year’s Mother’s Day celebration. To qualify, moms needed to actively have children living at home. Ages ranged from 18 to 57 and moms from all 50 U.S. states were represented.