Mother’s Day traditionally delivers a shot in the arm for fragrance sales. Brands and local distributors will be hoping that Australians follow their US counterparts when selecting gifts this year.

As prestige beauty sales soared 19 per cent in the US, the largest beauty market in the world, in the first quarter, 20 per cent of Mother’s Day gifts were fragrances – double the rate of other beauty categories.

Australians are predicted to spend $754 million on Mother’s Day this year, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), in collaboration with Roy Morgan Research.

Flowers are top of the gift list with 34 per cent of people surveyed planning to give their mums a floral tribute. Alcohol and food (23%) and clothing, shoes and sleepwear (11%) were also top-of-mind.

The average spend will be $80, reveals the report, with 90 per cent of people planning to spend the same or more than they did last year

Paul Zahra, CEO of the ARA, notes that retailers have been heavily promoting their offers in the run-up to Mother’s Day on May 8th.

“Australians are set to flock to the shops and head online for gifts for mum, with $754 million to be spent on presents,” he notes.

 “Whilst it’s an important day to celebrate the immense contribution of mums and the sacrifices they make, Australians will also use the day to acknowledge other significant people in their lives. Around one in four people will purchase gifts for people who are not their biological mothers, including mothers-in-law, wives or partners and other family members”.

Retail sales in Australia remain strong, says Zahra, and continue to be spurred along by key retail events such as Easter and Mother’s Day. 

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