As we approach the one-year anniversary of first going into lockdown in the UK, many of us are starting to experience 2 years’ worth of celebrations lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, this of course includes our Mums.
How has the pandemic affected consumer buying habits and how we feel around Mother’s Day?
Well, the separation from our loved ones may have been one of the reasons why there was an increase in those who felt that Mother’s Day is ‘an important occasion.’ According to a new GlobalData survey, 85.3%* now feel this way.
Not everyone is separated from their mother’s though and so that increase may also be due to the growing appreciate of our “superwoman” like mothers who are now juggling home schooling, working, making dinners, cleaning the house and everything else they manage to squeeze into each and every day!
Although we are unable to currently treat our mothers to a spa day pamper, or afternoon tea, the demand for ‘indulgence’ still remains high – in fact over 56% of UK consumers stated that uniqueness and enjoyability were important in the products they were purchasing.
Unsurprisingly, 44% of consumers intended to buy more online than in stores and this may be heavily influenced by the fact that most retailers are closed due to the pandemic and that many of us now have regular delivery slots for our supermarket purchases.
With supermarkets being the only place you can currently visit to purchase presents, what did they have to offer?
According to a recent article on The Grocer’s website, breakfast bundles were a recurring theme throughout many of our grocery retailers. Asda offered 2 different breakfast bundles – the cooked breakfast and the continental breakfast – both below £10. M&S had a “Luxury Breakfast in Bed” bundle which could be delivered straight to your mums’ door – perfect for those who couldn’t physically be with their mothers on the day. Morrisons had not only a breakfast bundle but also an “Afternoon Tea Box” meaning you could bring your usually indulgent treat into the comfort of your own home.
Flowers and home gifts also presented a variety of offers throughout these supermarkets which included special cakes, fluffy slippers, puzzles and candles. As well as Chrysanthemums, carnations and roses beautifully arranged in special bouquets – including a “Unicorn Bouquet” from Tesco.
Nothing will beat the day when we can see our loved ones and greet them with a long overdue hug! In the meantime though, it’s good to know we still have a variety of options to enable us to express love to our Mums.
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*This data was taken from GlobalData’s report: United Kingdom (UK) Mother’s Day 2020 – Consumer Dynamics and Spending Habits – with its survey details taken from GlobalData’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery consumer survey week 11, published on 9 December 2020 and GlobalData’s 2019 Q4 consumer survey on flavors and fragrances.
