First look: Adobe says digital trends look good for Mother’s Day

Online consumers appear to be remembering Mom this year.



According to new data from the Adobe Digital Index, online sales in the important Mother’s Day gift categories of flowers/gifts and jewelry are both trending 2%-3% higher than they were in 2015.



For the week of May 1, U.S. consumers had spent $63.4 million online in the flowers/gifts category through Wednesday, May 4, and are expected to spend a total of $95 million by week’s end. So far, the peak online spending day of the week in this product area was Wednesday, May 4, with $20.1 million. Forty-seven percent of digital flowers/gifts visits and 23% of sales were conducted via mobile device.



In the jewelry category the same week, $33.5 million had been spent online through Wednesday, May 4, with a total of $48 million expected to be spent through the week. Online jewelry sales also peaked on Wednesday, May 4 at $9.6 million. Mobile devices accounted for 52% of digital visits to jewelry retailers and 39% of transactions.



In an interview with Chain Store Age, Tyler White, senior manager of data science for Adobe Index, said Mother’s Day online sales patterns are generally similar to 2015, with peak volumes occurring on Wednesday of Mother’s Day week. However, both overall online sales and their mobile share are up.



“Despite stagnant offline sales, there has been a little bit of growth in e-commerce sales every year since 2008,” said White. “Initially the catalyst was consumers looking for low prices online after the recession.”



However, offline and online prices are now fairly consistent and consumers are shopping online more because it is convenient and they are used to it.”



Mobile sales, which accounted for up to half of digital sales volume during the peak 2015 holiday shopping period, are also growing due to the convenience factor.



“Consumers don’t want to have to go out to buy stuff,” said White. “Mobile devices are something everybody now carries with them, and they can make a purchase wherever they are.”