UK Mother's Day 2026 Spending Set to Rise Despite Flat Budgets, GlobalData Finds

Total UK retail spending for Mother's Day is forecast to reach £18 billion this year, a 15% increase year-on-year, even as most shoppers say they have no intention of spending more than they did in 2025. The apparent contradiction cuts to the heart of where the gifting market stands heading into Sunday, March 15.

The £18 billion forecast comes from retail and shopper marketing agency Savvy, whose survey of 1,000 UK shoppers found that 65% expect to celebrate Mother's Day in 2026, rising sharply to 88% among households with children. Alastair Lockhart, Insight Director at Savvy, described the occasion as "one of the most widely celebrated gifting events in the retail calendar after Christmas and Easter," and pointed to scale of participation, rather than larger individual budgets, as the engine of aggregate growth.

GlobalData's picture is more measured. Its "Retail Occasions Series: UK Mother's Day Intentions 2026" brief, published March 11, found that the proportion of UK consumers intending to buy at least one Mother's Day item edged up slightly to about 57%, but that per-shopper budgets remain largely unchanged at "around £50." Eleanor Simpson-Gould, Senior Retail Analyst at GlobalData, was direct about what that means for retailers: "Mother's Day budgets are expected to be in line with last year, but the mood is more cautious in 2026. That doesn't mean shoppers won't spend, it means they'll want purchases to feel rationalised. Clear signals of longevity, premium quality, and trusted brands will be essential to unlock spending."

Where both sources converge is on the direction of gifting choices. Shoppers are moving away from default categories and toward gifts that feel considered and personal. GlobalData identified early purchasing growth in homewares, sports-related items and drink gifts, noting that this signals "a greater willingness to move beyond default categories in favour of items that feel more personal and tailored to the recipient." Savvy's data points the same way: 58% of shoppers are planning a customised gift, and beauty and jewellery are expected to perform well as people reach for more considered or higher-value choices.

The most striking category shift involves food and drink. Seven in 10 shoppers told Savvy they expect to have a meal at home for the occasion, driven by the rising cost of eating and drinking out. That at-home pivot is fuelling a premiumisation wave in grocery: 61% of shoppers plan to buy more upscale food or drink for Mother's Day, up from 51% in 2025, and 56% expect to spend more than they would on a typical gift occasion.

The retail opportunity is real but not yet fully captured. Savvy found that 65% of UK shoppers consider Mother's Day ranges in shops to feel inspiring, yet 63% said they would spend more if even more interesting gift options were available. That gap, between shoppers who are willing and those who are sufficiently compelled, is precisely where the argument for creativity over price sits. As GlobalData put it, non-food retailers have a clear opening to win spend with "more considered, personality-matched presents, especially those that feel a little more premium or distinctive without being expensive." At around £50 a head, the question for retailers is not whether shoppers will buy, but whether the gift on the shelf is worth reaching for.