The analyst Retail Mother's Day Intentions 2026 report forms part of the Retail Occasions series, and offers a comprehensive overview of the retail occasion of Mother's Day, analysing consumers' intentions for spending.
The proportion of consumers intending to spend on Mother's Day has risen in 2025, as over half of UK consumers plan to participate in the event. Male intended participation and plans to purchase for a wider range of gift recipients has driven the increase this year. Food gifts and flowers remain popular gifting choices. Yet, consumers are feeling more confident in splashing out for the occasion, presenting retailers with opportunities for upselling.
The proportion of consumers intending to spend on Mother's Day has risen in 2025, as over half of UK consumers plan to participate in the event. Male intended participation and plans to purchase for a wider range of gift recipients has driven the increase this year. Food gifts and flowers remain popular gifting choices. Yet, consumers are feeling more confident in splashing out for the occasion, presenting retailers with opportunities for upselling.
Report Scope
- The proportion of UK consumers intending to buy, or who have already bought, for Mother’s Day 2026 has increased marginally on 2025.
- Plans for service-led celebrations are diminishing; fewer people plan to go out for a meal, while takeaway ordering is only marginally higher than last year.
- The share of consumers who have already bought clothing, health & beauty and vouchers for Mother's Day is down versus 2025.
Reasons to Buy
- Understand which products and categories consumers intend to purchase for Mother's Day 2026.
- Find out what consumers are planning to do to celebrate Mother's Day in 2026.
- Discover consumer opinions on Mother's Day and how this differs by age and generation.
Table of Contents
- Penetration, spending intentions, consumer attitudes
- Methodology
- Technical details: Consumer survey work
- Proportion of all respondents that intend to buy an item for Mother’s Day, total (2024-2026), by demographic (2026) (%)
- Demographic profile of a Mother’s Day Intended shopper (2026) (%)
- Top 15 activities consumers who intend to celebrate Mother's Day are planning to do in 2026
- A comparison of ‘intention to buy’ and ‘already bought’, across Mother’s Day categories in 2026
- Categories consumers intend to purchase and have already purchased for Mother's Day, 2025 & 2026
- Categories consumers intend to purchase or have already purchased for Mother's Day (2026), by gender
- Gifting categories consumers intend to purchase or have already purchased for Mother's Day (2026), by age
- A comparison of ‘intention to buy’ and ‘already bought’, across all gifting categories in 2026
- Who consumers intend to purchase or have already purchased gifts for this Mother's Day (2025 & 2026)
- Proportion of Mother’s Day intend/actual shoppers that plan to use/have already used the online channel by age (2026) (%)
- Proportion of Mother’s Day intend/actual shoppers that plan to use/have already used the instore channel by age (2026) (%)
- Whether consumers intend to spend more, the same, or less during Mother's Day 2026, by age and gender (%)
- How much consumers plan to spend on gifts, food & drink and cards & gift wrap during Mother's Day 2026
- Average intended spend by category during Mother's Day 2026 (£s), overall and by gender
- Agreement and disagreement with statements about Mother's Day in 2026
- Agreement and disagreement with statement “I tend to leave my Mother’s Day shopping until the very last minute”, by generation
- Agreement and disagreement with statement “Retailers don’t do enough to provide gift inspiration”, by generation
- Agreement and disagreement with statement “I spend more money on taking my mum for a meal rather than on buying a gift”, by age group
