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Cape Town - With Mother's Day being the third-biggest retail celebration after Christmas and back-to-school, the retail industry is sure to see a boost in sales this quarter.
South Africans are expected to spend close to half a billion rand on Mother's Day this year, as part of the global frenzy that has made the occasion the third-biggest spending bonanza globally.
Mother's Day has gone from a day of breakfast in bed, hand-drawn cards and flowers in a vase to a multi million rand celebration.
Research by Passport Consumer Finance 2012 suggests that many mothers can expect gift cards, which have become an increasingly popular gift. Research shows that the gift card market in South Africa has soared from about 300 000 gift cards in 2006 to more than 3.3 million in 2011.
The South African gift card market is now worth R4.6bn and growing by at least 20% a year, with an average spend of about R140 on each gift card.
Paul Kent, managing director of SureSwipe credit card machine distributor, says that as gifts purchased for mothers evolved, their gift preferences have changed too. He says almost 13% of mothers with gift cards opt for electronics such as tablets and digital cameras.
"In the past the top five gifts for mothers were flowers, chocolate, alcohol, beauty treatments or a card.
"But our research shows gift cards to hairstylists, jewellers, gyms, fancy homeware stores and clothing outlets are popular," he says.
