Mother’s Day shoppers who are racking their brains to find the perfect gift this year should know it’s all about location, location, location! Ebates.com, a pioneer and leader in online cash back shopping, just announced their Mother’s Day survey findings that show that gifts moms most want to receive vary by location.

Ebates.com polled 10 top U.S. markets and found that moms across Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington DC, and Atlanta cited quality time with their family as the top gift they want. However, moms in New York City, Philadelphia, and Houston identified a gift card to their favorite store as their #1 Mother’s Day gift choice. Moms in San Francisco indicated they most want a spa day, while those in Boston named fine dining out as the #1 gift on their wish list.

The survey was conducted online in March by Harris Poll on behalf of Ebates.com, among over 2,100 U.S. adults in the top 10 American markets by population (roughly 200 per market).

Top 5 Mother’s Day Gifts By Market

“Every mom is unique and deserves to be rewarded with the gift she really wants on Mother’s Day. Shoppers can count on Ebates every year to tell them what that perfect gift is, and deliver cash back on everything they buy, from gift cards and fine dining, to chocolate, jewelry, or a spa day,” said Kevin H. Johnson, CEO of Ebates, Inc.

Gifts NOT to Give Mom

If you think that every woman enjoys accessories, you’d better think twice when it comes to Mother’s Day gift giving. The Ebates.com research asked American moms what they do not want to receive for Mother’s Day and found overall accessories are out this year.

Across all ten cities, nearly seven in ten moms (69%) agree that cowboy boots are the #1 item they don’t want, followed by sunglasses (41%). Other accessories you may want to reconsider buying mom this Mother’s Day include a designer purse (38%), perfume (33%), and a smartphone (27%).

What Men (Wrongly) Think Mom Want

Interestingly, when it came to gender, the survey shows that majorities of men in 6 of the 10 top markets think what moms most want to receive for Mother’s Day is wrong. Men who live in Los Angeles (58%), Atlanta (57%), New York City (56%), Washington DC (54%), Houston (50%), and Boston (46%) believe that moms would most want to receive flowers for Mother’s Day.

Men in Philadelphia (60%), Chicago (55%), and Dallas-Fort Worth (48%) were closer to being correct by naming dining out as the #1 gift they think moms would most want to receive for Mother’s Day, the number three gift cited by moms. Half of San Francisco men guessed the national first choice, quality time with family, but only 39% identified local moms’ favorite, a spa day.

Until May 11, Mother’s Day shoppers can receive up to 40% cash back on select retailers via Ebates.
For more details on specific retailers participating in the special Mother’s Day offer, visit Ebates.com. Shoppers can download the free Ebates.com app at Google Play and the App Store.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Ebates.com from March 11-17, 2014 among 2,102 adults ages 18 and older in the top 10 U.S. markets, among whom 781 identified themselves as moms. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.