A bespoke card is created for a mum every single second during ‘Mother’s Day fortnight’, according to the UK's biggest online card retailer.
Moonpig data revealed 85 per cent more cards are sent for Mother’s Day than Valentine’s Day, while two-and-a-half times more flowers are delivered to mothers than lovers.
Mums’ popularity isn’t reserved for Mother’s Day, with one in every four of all cards posted in the UK by the retailer each year being delivered to mothers - double the number sent to dads.
It comes after separate research of 2,000 adults, commissioned by the brand, found mums aren’t just on the receiving end, but they also do the bulk of card and gift buying for others.
Mums send an average of 13 cards and 15 gifts to loved ones each year - a total of 346 million cards and 395 million gifts across the UK.
More than a quarter of these (27 per cent of cards and 29 per cent of gifts) are bought by mums but on behalf of other people – showing mums are crucial to keeping everyone feeling appreciated, even if they're not the ones signing their names at the end.
Rachael Halliday, spokesperson for Moonpig, said: “It’s clear mums are the biggest drivers of the UK’s gift economy, meaning that beyond all they do for their own loved ones, they’re also the leading force for connecting families and friends, keeping occasions from birthdays to anniversaries, exam results to engagement days marked in a special way.
“And this ‘love burden’ thankfully doesn’t go unrewarded, as we are more inclined to show our appreciation back to them than any other person in our lives.”
Moonpig’s data also revealed the most commonly gifted item across the year is chocolate, with 41 tonnes of sweet treats being sent annually – the same weight as a blue whale – with half of this being sent to mums just for Mother’s Day.
It’s not just mums who receive cards on the big day though, with step mums, godmothers, and even pet mums among the top terms highlighted on orders.
This is backed up by the research which found that being a mum extends far beyond biology, with 22 per cent of those polled increasingly relying on a wider circle of maternal figures.
These networks include mothers-in-law (16 per cent), grandmas (10 per cent), unrelated ‘aunties’ (six per cent), work mentors (five per cent) and even the mum of the friendship group (four per cent).
This wider group of ‘mums’ all have specific roles to fill, as only 14 per cent of women would be happy to discuss the intricacies of their dating lives with their own mum.
Instead, many prefer to turn to another trusted female figure, such as their work mum (27 per cent) or unrelated ‘auntie’ (17 per cent) to speak about these delicate matters, according to the OnePoll.com figures.
Despite this clear appreciation for mother figures, far from planning ahead of time, the brand’s data found a quarter of card buyers leave it until the final 48 hours before Mother’s Day to make a purchase.
And there are even a few who forget completely, with 11 times more ‘sorry’ cards sent to mums in March than any other month.
Rachael Halliday added: “Our data shows the evolving nature of motherhood in the UK and so we work hard to ensure the nation can express their love to every – and any kind – of mum.
“A personalised card with curated photos of memories, a thoughtful gift or a glorious bunch of flowers arriving on a doorstep this Sunday is more than a token – we believe it’s about keeping love and connections alive even when we can’t be there in person.”
MOST VALUED TRAITS IN A MOTHER FIGURE:
1. Great listener
2. A calming presence
3. Shoulder to cry on
4. Calm in a crisis
5. Voice of reason
6. Emotional rock
7. Immediately trustworthy
8. Nurturer
9. Protector of the people they love
10. Problem-solver
11. First port of call in an emergency
12. Expert advice giver
13. Fountain of wisdom
14. Peacemaker / mediator of a group
15. Confidence builder
16. The glue that holds a group together
17. Inclusive caregiver
18. Champion of everyone’s successes
19. Wellbeing expert
20. Retainer of information and details about people
