Retail Spending Down on Mother’s Day

Tuesday, March 24, 2020 - 09:35 by David Aiken

Statistics published by GlobalData show that consumers in the UK spent less over the course of Mother’s Day this year than usual, with the limitations imposed by the coronavirus making such a slowdown understandable.

While three-quarters of people usually make a purchase related with this annual event, in 2020 the closure of high street stores, restaurants and pubs all took their toll, forcing people to rethink their options and celebrate in different ways.

In 2019 a quarter of Mother’s Day purchases were made via safe shopping online, but of course this skyrocketed in the midst of social distancing and self-isolation being practised on a vast scale not only across Britain but also globally.

Retailers such as Marks & Spencer attempted to ease the burden on customers and also boost sales during this period of international crisis by expanding their delivery options and giving customers the ability to order Mother’s Day gifts with free delivery within 24 hours.

Of course, this switch to shopping online from high street visits which is happening en masse at the moment is also putting increased strain on the delivery infrastructures that different retailers have in place. Some firms have been forced to stop offering next-day delivery because they simply cannot guarantee this any longer with the influx of orders swamping their systems.

Consumers spend around £2 billion on a normal Mother’s Day, covering both gifts and experiences. While the final figures for 2020 have yet to be compiled, no doubt there will be a lower total this year because of the exacerbating circumstances of coronavirus.

Once again this is an indication that online sales will thrive in the face of the pandemic, making it vital for retailers of all kinds to optimise the e-commerce experience that is available to customers.