UK's Mother's Day delivered online uplift

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 19, 2021

Mother's Day may have been disrupted in the UK this year, but it still managed to deliver a 47% increase in online revenue for UK retailers. That's according to e-commerce ecosystem Visualsoft, which hosts more than 1,000 online retailers.

As well as the big increase in actual revenue, order numbers increased by 25%. This was a hefty uplift even if it was a lower figure than the revenue rise. The disparity between the two figures suggests that individuals were spending spending more money on gifts for their mothers this year, perhaps a consequence of not being able to be with them and being unable to go out for the traditional meal.

The spending uplift came in the two weeks running up to Mother's Day, which took place last Sunday.

It was almost the second year of Mother's Day happening during lockdown — almost, but not quite. The day had fallen on March 22 last year, and although that was just ahead of the government’s announcement of the national lockdown, many businesses had already shut their doors temporarily and consumers were already showing clear signs of being unwilling to go out.

But while Dean Benson, CEO at Visualsoft, commented on the second year in which Mother's Day was affected by the pandemic, he also said that “in comparison to last year, consumers have adapted to this way of life”.

He added that “with consumer confidence a lot higher than this time last year, online retailers have reaped the benefits, seeing a dramatic increase in Mother’s Day revenue. With the continued closure of stores and shoppers looking for the convenience of searching and shopping for gifts online, sales have soared.”

He said that the retailers that were winners from the event were those “who provided a seamless shopping experience, last-minute delivery options and personalised Mother’s Day products”.

This is something worth remembering for retailers in the months ahead as other special event days happen. While a gradual return to normality is on the cards from April, chances are that there will still be some disruption and some permanent change to the way consumers shop. Retailers that show themselves able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances are likely to come out on top.