14% of UK adults sent Mother’s Day cards to those who are not their mum
Around 14% of the UK adult population sent a Mother’s Day card to someone who is not their biological mother and almost 9% have sent or received a Mother’s Day card or gift from their pet.
These consumer insights, which have a bearing on greeting card captions required for the largest Spring Season event, have come to light as a result of recent research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Royal Mail.
Almost a third (31%) of UK adults are expected to have posted a Mother’s Day card or gift to their mums this year while 59% of people made plans to see their mothers in the flesh on the day, according to the survey.
When it came to presents, flowers and plants (51%), chocolate (21%), wine and champagne (13%), and handmade gifts (8%), are believed to have be the most popular gifts sent to mothers this year with books, candles, cakes and tea also ranking highly on the list.
As well as commissioning the research, Royal Mail’s PR and marketing support to promote Mother’s Day included a digital surprise for mums as the company’s new barcoded stamps enabled users to watch and share exclusive videos by scanning the stamps in the Royal Mail App. One of the options was a Mother’s Day video, giving mums and mother figures something extra to smile about when they received cards in the post this year.
Following on from PG Buzz’s recent news piece about how Mother’s Day stacked up for greeting card retail stockists this year, here are more juicy nuggets from the retail front line…
Sean Austin, owner of Austin & Co, Malvern
“Our Mother’s Day profits were on a par with 2019 and you can’t ask for more than that. Despite talk of rising inflation, energy and fuel costs, a card for your mum is still priority for many customers – and a nice card at that.
“In addition to new titles, it was still a case of clearing through what cards had been bought for the 2021 event, but we were very happy how certain lines sold, such as those from Cinnamon Aitch, Poet And Painter, Cath Kidston by Ohh Deer, Sara Miller by The Art File and Sarah Kelleher.”
Alison Russell, owner of Conway Cards, Garstang
“Overall sales were good, and we had very little in the way of returns. We did well with Mother’s Day balloons too – even made a delivery locally of a cluster of balloons, with a card and gift, for a customer who lives out in Miami!
“All our greeting card suppliers performed well across the board while, gift-wise, Scentiments candles with wooden message lids were a really good seller as were Alex Clark mugs.”
Sarah Laker, owner of Stationery Supplies, Marple and Wilmslow
“Our Mother’s Day cards and gifts sales were both great. The Molly Mae selection of cards for your grandma, nanna, gran, etc, sold really well, alongside Dandelion Stationery’s Best Mum In Marple and Toasted Crumpet’s National Trust range.
“And the sun was shining on Saturday for our Mother’s Day colouring fundraising event, which was sponsored by Maped Helix, and the daffodils by our neighbours Chelsea Flowers, Wilmslow. We raised £50 for Wilmslow & Alderley Edge Marie Curie Fundraising Group. The children really enjoyed colouring in a card for their mums and wrapping a bunch of daffodils.”
Mark Rees, managing director of Penmark/Henry & Co
“Mother’s Day was disappointing overall for us with sales for the two weeks prior down 10%. With the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine I think people are battening down the hatches, and non-essential spend will more than likely suffer as a result.”
Sally Matson, owner of Red Card, Petworth
“We had a record Mothering Sunday. We have noticed people are definitely buying seasonal cards and gifts earlier, and I think this is partly due to the pandemic – people feel uncertain about when things may be available in the future so they buy when they see, but you always have the last-minute purchasers!
“We’re not usually open on Sundays but opened on Mothering Sunday and did a roaring trade.
“Our top performers were Redback’s ‘Cool mums have cool kids’ (top seller), Rosie Made A Thing, Belly Button, Objectables’ humour (the Greta Thunberg design was the top seller), Louise Mulgrew, and Wendy Jones-Blackett’s new range.”
Carrie Wainer & Sarah Arkle, co-owners, Happydashery, Leighton Buzzard
“We were really pleased with how our Mother’s Day sales went, compared to our previous years. Our top performers were some beautiful bespoke Leighton Buzzard seeded cards from Made By Shannon and the slightly cheekier Buddy Fernandez ones. Designs by Carolyn Suzuki and Emma Cooter Draws from 1973 were also incredibly popular.”
Paul Cheshire, partner, &Quirky, Berkhamsted
“We’ve expanded our card display into another area of the shop and this has proved successful as customers have been buying more than one card and stock piling cards which are unique and our cheeky cards are proving very popular.
“Mothers Day sales were better than expected and our different ranges of cards seemed to be a hit with most customers. The modern style of Lagom to the cheekiness of Buddy Fernandez were ideal sellers for us.”
Top: Motherly love – mother figures aren’t just biological mums
