Mother's Day gifting in 2026 proved resilient, with 60% of consumers purchasing a gift. However, Mother's Day is increasingly under pressure to evolve, as the role of gifting is shifting.
UK
Retail
simple
UK Mother’s Day Market Report 2026
"Wider wellness trends are influencing Mother's Day gifting, creating opportunities for retailers and brands to redefine self-care."
Mother’s Day gifting in 2026 proved resilient, with 60% of consumers purchasing a gift. However, Mother’s Day is increasingly under pressure to evolve, as the role of gifting is shifting.
Consumers are placing greater emphasis on long-term wellbeing and practical value, redefining what constitutes a ‘meaningful’ gift. As a result, Mother’s Day is moving beyond a single moment of celebration, becoming a platform through which ongoing care is expressed – raising expectations for gifts to deliver relevance and impact beyond the day itself.
Wellness has emerged as a central driver of this shift, influencing both gifting choices and in-home celebrations. With over half of consumers avoiding unhealthy food and drink gifts, there is a clear move away from short-term indulgence towards sustained wellbeing.
At the same time, the demand for experience-based gifts is growing, meaning traditional gifting models no longer meet expectations. This puts pressure on brands and retailers to offer more than just standalone products. The new approach requires viewing Mother’s Day not as a one-off event, but as an opportunity to position gifts as the start of long-term routines, experiences and support systems that extend well beyond the celebration itself.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
How wider wellness trends are impacting gifting priorities for Mother’s Day
Why retailers need to take a long-term approach to self-care gifting
How retailers can engage higher earning gift buyers with premium gifting experiences
The top factors that make purchasing Mother’s Day gifts difficult, and how retailers can address them
How emerging AI technology will promise a truly seamless gift buying experience
Notable campaigns and activations from retailers and brands at Mother’s Day
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for Mother’s Day 2027
Opportunities
Move self-care gifting from quick fixes to long-term health
Make dedicated gift areas feel curated , not self-serve
Let AI do the heavy lifting and boring gifting admin
THE MARKET
Market size
Chocolate and jewellery prices remain high
Graph 1: consumer prices for key Mother’s Day gifting categories, January 2025-March 2026
Greetings card specialists struggle
Graph 2: number of transactions, January 2025-March 2026
Florists see number of transactions and customers peak in March
Graph 3: number of customers, Jan 2025-March 2026
Graph 4: number of transactions for florists, Jan 2025-March 2026
Market size breakdown
Users of weight loss medication are reshaping mealtime choices
Graph 5: changes in eating out or takeaway behaviour after starting prescription weight-loss medication, 2025
THE CONSUMER
Evolving attitudes towards wellness will reshape self-care in gifting
Food and drink most popular Mother’s Day gift
Graph 6: products purchased as gifts for Mother’s Day, 2026
Wellness drives healthier Mother’s Day gifting habits
Parents of younger children avoid unhealthy food/drink gifts
Graph 7: “I avoided giving unhealthy food and drink gifts for Mother’s Day this year, by age of children, 2026
Dedicated functional gifting areas in store
Functional nutrition as the new gifting hero
Elevate wellness gifting with experiences
Younger gift buyers want to support their mothers’ long-term health
One-stop gifting services need to feel premium
Mother’s Day gift buying is convenience-led
Higher income households lead gift spending
Graph 8: average spending on Mother’s Day gifts, by household income, 2025-26
High income gift buyers want one-stop gifting spaces
Graph 9: Mother’s Day shopping behaviours, by household income, 2026
Sustainable packaging can elevate premium feel
Packaging with purpose and style
Create immersive Mother’s Day gifting areas in store
AI technology to turbocharge frictionless gifting
Tackle Mother’s Day friction points
Having to go to multiple areas in store is a costly barrier for shoppers
Smarter gifting tools needed
Younger gift buyers hold off until the last minute
Young males interested in optimising the gift buying experience
Graph 10: technology and Mother’s Day shopping behaviours, by gender and age, 2026
Help share the cognitive load of buying Mother’s Day gifts
RETAILER ACTIVITY
John Lewis launches beauty box on TikTok Shop
Daisy May reveals what mums ‘really want’ in John Lewis campaign
Stacey Solomon launches ‘mini-me’ collection with Primark
Mother’s Day messaging needs to be sensitive
Retailer collaborations
Tesco launches Mother’s Day campaign at King’s Cross
Retail gifting guides spotlight BPC products for menopause
Waitrose caters to meal time missions
APPENDIX
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Other data source methodologies
Mintel Spark
Snoop SpendMapper methodology
Abbreviations
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