Mother’s Day sales in the UK have surged in the last few years. Last year, retail sales jumped by 5.1 percent in March, compared to a 3.1 percent increase in March 2022. That uptick in sales is fueled by eCommerce sales, which have outpaced 2020’s sales in each of the last 3 years.
However, not every eCommerce brand is taking full advantage of the Mother’s Day season, and new insights reveal what’s appealing most to these shoppers. Here’s a look at the latest trends to pay attention to if you want your multichannel eCommerce brand to cash in this Mother’s Day.
How big of an opportunity for sales is the UK's Mother’s Day?
This year, the UK’s Mother’s Day takes place on March 10. Data from years past suggest UK shoppers treat the event as an essential buying occasion. Retail penetration for Mother’s Day increased in 2023, even as 60 percent of consumers reported financial concerns last year. By leaning into the patterns of Mother’s Day shoppers, eCommerce brands could tap into even more sales this year.
Mother's Day trends from 2023 in the UK
In the UK, Beauty and Personal Care products are becoming popular on Mother’s Day and in the weeks leading up to the event. Here are a few more trends to pay attention to if you want to connect with extra Mother’s Day shoppers:
- Tesco is the UK’s preferred Mother’s Day retailer. According to GlobalData, Tesco led retailers in the UK Mother’s Day market last year. ASDA was next, followed by Sainsbury’s.
- Promotions are catching Mother’s Day shoppers’ attention. According to Mintel, 61 percent of shoppers used discounts or promotions to buy Mother’s Day gifts last year.
- Beauty & Personal Care eCommerce rules Mother’s Day. According to The Industry.Beauty, their year-on-year revenue jumped by 12.3 percent and 28.8 percent in the first two weeks leading into March. Makeup, fragrance, and beauty made up the bulk of those sales.
Beauty eCommerce insights for Mother's Day shopping
Here’s when, where, and what Beauty shoppers are buying during UK Mother’s Day, according to the MikMak Shopping Index:
When are Beauty shoppers buying?
Last year, Mother’s Day took place on 19 March 2023 in the UK. Purchase Intent Clicks, indicating in-market shopper traffic, for Beauty products, peaked about 2-3 weeks before the event, on the following dates:
- Tuesday, February 28
- Sunday, March 5
- Sunday, February 26
Purchase Intent Rates, indicating the share of shoppers who are likely to buy, peaked on the following dates:
- Tuesday, February 28
- Sunday, February 26
- Tuesday, March 7
The day of the week with the highest shopping traffic for Beauty products was Sunday, while the day when shoppers were most likely to buy was Tuesday.
What Beauty products are shoppers buying?
The most popular Beauty products for Mother’s Day shoppers last year were fragrances. Tinted moisturizer and loose powder secured the next highest Purchase Intent Rates. Perfecting foundation and eye color sticks rounded out the top 5.
What channels and retailers attract Beauty shoppers?
Among the UK’s top 5 Beauty retailers, last year, Mother’s Day shoppers preferred Boots, which drew in an 18,9 percent share of Purchase Intent Clicks. Next was John Lewis with 11,4 percent and Sephora with 9,3 percent. ASOS and Amazon trailed slightly with 8 percent and 7,6 percent, respectively.
When it comes to social eCommerce platforms, Facebook grabbed the highest share of Purchase Intent Clicks for Beauty shoppers. Next was Instagram, followed by YouTube.
Personal Care eCommerce Insights for Mother’s Day shopping
Unlike with Beauty products, Personal Care products didn’t spike before Valentine’s Day. Instead, Mother’s Day stood out as the main event for Personal Care shoppers. According to the MikMak’s Shopping Index, here’s when, where, and what Personal Care shoppers are buying for UK Mother’s Day.
When are Personal Care shoppers buying?
Last year, Purchase Intent Clicks during the Mother’s Day season peaked on the following days:
- Tuesday, March 2
- Monday, March 1
- Saturday, March 11
These were the top days for Purchase Intent Rate:
- Tuesday, March 7
- Monday, February 27
- Wednesday, March 8
Monday was the hottest day of the week for Personal Care shopping traffic, and Sunday had the highest conversion rates.
What are top-selling Personal Care products?
The most popular Personal Care product during the Mother’s Day season last year was anti-wrinkle day cream. Face moisturizing gel and anti-age eye cream drew in the next highest Purchase Intent Rates. Anti-age skincare set and body oil slid into the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
What channels and retailers attract Personal Care shoppers?
Superdrug drew in the highest share of Purchase Intent Clicks among the top Personal Care retailers during last year’s season. Boots and Sephora followed. LOOKFANTASTIC and Escentual landed in the respective fourth and fifth spots.
How to broaden your brand’s reach and draw in omnichannel shoppers
Here are a few best practices to follow if you want to increase your brand’s marketing effectiveness.
1. Tap into Meta's popularity
Because Facebook and Instagram are top social channels for Mother’s Day Beauty and Personal Care shopping, it’s important to create ads that fit their audiences. Check out some best practices for Meta from Disruptive Digital and MikMak.
2. Add a Where-to-Buy solution to your brand's websites
Most brands have a website, but many only showcase products, setting up a conversion dead-end. By adding a Where-to-Buy solution, your brand can give consumers a more pleasant experience, provide shoppers with more options, and bring in more loyal consumers.
3. Learn from top-selling brands
When Bioderma Turkey added MikMak to their brand.com, it took one week to implement. One month later, they had sold hundreds of products through 12 different retailers.
Discover more insights to sell more in the UK
These insights should help your eCommerce brand sell more this Mother’s Day—and we have more findings to help you sell in the UK. Read our Boots UK Benchmarks & Insights Report to learn all about shoppers who prefer this top-selling retailer.
