MYPICTURE UK survey finds mums value meaning over formula on Mother’s Day

GaryPageau ,
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Mother’s Day gifting in the UK may be shifting away from formula-led purchasing and towards gifts that feel more meaningful, according to a new directional survey published by MYPICTURE UK and The Customization Group. The survey combined responses from a follower survey and Instagram polls, creating a directional sample of 100 respondents across six questions and three age groups. While not nationally representative, the findings offer a useful snapshot of how families may be thinking about Mother’s Day gifting in the United Kingdom. The full analysis, titled “What Mums Really Want for Mother’s Day: More Meaning, Less Formula,” is available on The Customization Group’s Medium profile.

Among the headline findings, 36% of respondents said they were open to either a personalised or non-personalised gift, while 25% preferred a thoughtful non-personalised gift and 25% preferred a personalised one. Only 13% said they would rather receive an experience or practical help instead.

The results also suggest that emotional weight matters more than functionality alone. Asked about preferred gift style, 35% of respondents chose something special or indulgent, while 34% preferred a mix of practical and special. Practical and reusable gifts came in at 18%, and decorative or keepsake-led gifts at 12%.

One of the clearest findings related to thoughtfulness. Forty-four per cent of respondents said the most thoughtful aspect of a Mother’s Day gift is “putting effort into creating something”, compared with 35% who chose “choosing something that fits my taste”, 14% who preferred “planning to make life easier”, and 6% who selected “getting exactly what I asked for.”

The survey also found not all forms of personalisation carry the same emotional value. When asked which type of personalisation they preferred, 53% of respondents chose a combination of message and photos, compared with 33% for photos alone and 9% for name, initials or message alone. Five per cent said they do not like personalised gifts at all.

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Gary Pageau is principal of InfoCircle LLC, continuing his marketing communications career. InfoCircle LLC is a marketing and communications consulting firm, specializing in business-to-business markets. For nearly 25 years, he was with PMA International, serving most recently as Publisher, Content Development and Strategic Initiatives. His primary responsibilities included overseeing the Association’s editorial department, marketing research unit, education and corporate relations department.