Gift-giving advice gets fuzzy fast because different holidays, relationships, and budgets all pull in different directions. The clearest way to get grounded is to look at current, named surveys instead of recycled listicle claims. As of March 27, 2026, the best public U.S. snapshot comes from recent National Retail Federation surveys covering winter holidays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.
These numbers are not a perfect map of every gifting scenario. They do, however, reveal a consistent pattern: people still want flexibility, usefulness, and gifts that feel personal enough to create a memory.
Key Gift Giving Statistics at a Glance
- In the NRF 2024 winter-holiday survey, shoppers planned to spend $902 per person on gifts, food, decorations, and other seasonal items, including about $641 on gifts alone.
- In that same NRF winter-holiday survey, 53% of shoppers said they wanted gift cards, followed by 49% for clothing and accessories, 28% for books and other media, and 25% for personal care or beauty items.
- In the NRF Valentine’s Day 2026 survey, shoppers planned to spend a record $199.78 per person on average.
- In the NRF Mother’s Day 2025 survey, celebrants planned to spend $259.04 per person on average, and 48% said finding a gift that felt unique or different mattered most.
- In the NRF Father’s Day 2025 survey, shoppers planned to spend $199.38 per person on average, while 46% said the most important thing was finding a gift that felt unique or different.
- In the NRF Super Saturday 2025 update, 31% of holiday shoppers said they planned to give an experience, up from 22% in 2015.
What People Most Often Want
If you want the shortest honest answer, it is this: people still like flexible gifts and familiar categories that fit real life. Gift cards remain strong because they let the recipient solve their own problem, whether that is dinner, clothing, classroom supplies, books, or a bigger planned purchase.
The NRF 2024 winter-holiday survey is especially useful here because it asked what people wanted to receive, not just what they planned to buy. Gift cards led the wish list, and the next highest categories were clothing, media, and personal care. Those are not flashy answers, but they explain why so many “safe” gifts still work when they are chosen well.
The NRF Super Saturday 2025 update showed a similar pattern in what shoppers had already picked up late in the season: clothing and accessories (48%), toys (30%), gift cards (27%), books, music, movies, video games and other media (25%), and personal care or beauty items (23%).
That does not mean people want boring gifts. It means they often want gifts that are easy to use, easy to enjoy, or easy to convert into something specific they already know they need.
The Memory Factor Matters More Than Most Shoppers Admit
One of the more useful insights in recent NRF data is that people do not just shop by category. They shop by emotional outcome. The Mother’s Day 2025 survey found 48% of consumers said finding a gift that was unique or different mattered most, while 42% prioritized a gift that creates a special memory.
The Father’s Day 2025 survey points the same direction. There, 46% of shoppers said “unique or different” mattered most, and 37% said creating a special memory was the key priority.
That helps explain why experience gifts keep gaining ground. In the NRF Super Saturday 2025 survey, 31% of shoppers said they planned to give an experience, up from 22% in 2015. The gift does not always have to be a concert ticket or weekend trip, but it should feel less interchangeable than the generic version of the same category.
How People Shop for Gifts
Knowing what people want is only part of the picture. Knowing how shoppers decide is just as useful. In the NRF Thanksgiving weekend 2025 survey, the leading sources of gift inspiration were:
- Online search (41%)
- Friends and family (35%)
- Browsing in store (28%)
- Wish lists (23%)
The same survey found 58% of shoppers had already started holiday shopping by early November, and they had completed about 26% of their planned purchases on average. That matters because it suggests many shoppers are not waiting for one perfect insight. They are building confidence gradually, using search, conversation, and wish lists to narrow the field before they buy.
What This Data Means for Real Gift Shopping
The best use of gift-giving data is not to outsource judgment. It is to make better first decisions.
- If you are unsure on category, start with the lanes people repeatedly show up for: flexible gift cards, clothing or accessories, books or media, personal care, and low-friction experiences.
- If you want the gift to feel less generic, use the memory signal from the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day surveys as your filter. Ask what would feel distinct, useful, or moment-making for this specific person.
- If you are choosing between two decent options, lean toward the one that improves a real routine instead of the one that only looks impressive in the box.
For applied help, use How to Choose the Perfect Gift as the decision framework, Little Luxuries Under $25 for affordable but polished picks, Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Every Budget for practical low-waste options, and 25 Thoughtful Housewarming Gifts Under $75 when you need useful home-focused ideas.
Sources Used in This Refresh
- NRF 2024 Holiday Spending Expected to Reach New Record
- NRF Valentine’s Day Spending Expected to Reach New Records
- NRF Mother’s Day Spending Expected to Reach $34.1 Billion
- NRF Father’s Day Spending to Reach Record $24 Billion
- NRF A Record 159 Million Consumers Expected to Shop on Super Saturday
- NRF Thanksgiving Weekend Expected to Draw Largest Number of Shoppers on Record
Frequently Asked Questions
What do people most want to receive as gifts?
Recent NRF survey data shows gift cards remain one of the most requested gift types, followed by clothing and accessories, books or media, and personal care items. In practice, flexible gifts and gifts that fit a real routine continue to outperform novelty items.
Do shoppers care more about memorable gifts than expensive ones?
Current NRF seasonal surveys suggest many shoppers do care about distinctiveness and memory-making, not just price. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day research in 2025 found that shoppers prioritized gifts that felt unique or created a special memory.
How should I use gift-giving data without becoming overly generic?
Use the data to narrow categories and budgets, then personalize within that lane. Statistics are best for choosing the right kind of gift, while thoughtfulness comes from matching it to the recipient’s habits, timing, and taste.
