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Merrick, NY—Fully half of respondents to the Centurion 2015 Mother's Day Sales Success Index reported their sales for the holiday grew from 2014 figures, and 25% of respondents said those increases were greater than 10%. 18% of respondents said sales were even with last year, and 32% saw a drop-off in sales for the holiday this year vs. last year.

More than half (54%) said the average spend was about the same this year, which suggests the boost in sales came from more consumers choosing jewelry as a gift for Mom. But almost one third (32%) said the average spend increased from last year as well. 21% saw their average ticket decline this year compared to last year.

One-third of respondents cited designer and branded jewelry as their best-selling category for Mother's Day 2015. Top brands named were David Yurman, John Hardy, Armenta, Heather Moore, Ippolita, and Roberto Coin. Diamond jewelry was in second place among prestige jewelers this year, with 29% of respondents citing it as their leading sales category for the holiday. But one category that experienced a sharp decline this year were charms and beads—only one respondent said Pandora was the best-selling gift category, and one more cited “charms” without specifying brand. But a few respondents did cite price-point goods, in particular Alex & Ani or other fashion brands.

Best-selling price points for Mother's Day at prestige jewelry stores varied across a range from the inexpensive (less than $500) up to about $3,000. 38% did well with low-end goods under $500, but an equal number said their most popular price points fell between $1,500 and $3,000. 23% said their strongest sales fell between $500 and $1,500.

Mother's Day was a solid holiday for prestige jewelers. The chart above shows responses to the question, "How Did Your 2015 Mother's Day Sales Compare To Last Year?"

So for the consumers that aren’t buying jewelry for Mom, what are they buying? The Centurion asked jewelers what they feel they’re competing against for Mother's Day dollars. Not surprisingly, the number-one answer was fine dining and/or flowers, but travel and experiences ranked high as well, with one-fourth of respondents citing that as the category they felt they were competing with most. Another hard-to-argue-with category diverting dollars from jewelry gifts was home improvement; specifically, remodeling the kitchen.

Clothing, handbags, and beauty came in for a few respondents, but one jeweler‘s comment best put things in perspective: “Mother's Day is not a high-ticket holiday for us and never has been. No reason to get discouraged.”

Top image: Torrington.info