Mother’s Day is no longer a last-minute rush as shoppers spread demand and embrace more flexible delivery options

• Order volumes rise +8.47 percent YoY across the week, with no single peak day dominating demand
• Faster and more flexible delivery options surge as shoppers balance planning ahead with last-minute purchasing

The traditional last-minute rush around Mother’s Day is beginning to disappear in favour of more deliberate and risk-aware shopping patterns, according to new data from delivery management and post-purchase experience provider, Scurri.

UK e-commerce order volumes grew +8.47 percent YoY, but the most striking finding is not how much demand increased, it is how evenly it was spread. Every single day in the lead up to Mother’s Day recorded growth, with no sharp spike or last-minute surge. Instead, shoppers made their purchases across the entire week, with Monday (+8.44 percent YoY) setting the pace and Thursday (+10.17 percent) and Saturday (+10.59 percent) delivering the strongest uplifts.

Across the whole period, while last-minute shopping still exists, it is no longer the defining feature of the event. This marks a clear departure from more volatile retail peaks such as Valentine’s Day, where demand clusters tightly around key cut-off points.

Rory O’Connor, founder and CEO of Scurri, commented, “Mother’s Day is no longer behaving like a traditional retail peak. What we’re seeing is a shift from a last-minute surge to a much more distributed pattern of demand. Shoppers are planning earlier, but they are also seeking greater flexibility in how their orders are fulfilled. The strong growth in next day and weekend delivery shows that convenience and control are becoming central to the purchase decision. Retailers need to maintain consistent performance across a longer time window, where delivery reliability and flexibility play a direct role in conversion.”

Delivery behaviour is shifting even faster. The data shows a decisive move towards faster and more flexible delivery options, alongside continued growth in standard services.

Next Day delivery rose +24.41 percent YoY, while Standard Delivery increased +41.80 percent and Two-Day Delivery grew +14.12 percent, indicating that shoppers are engaging earlier while still valuing speed and certainty.

At the same time, Signature delivery saw a slight decline (-0.46 percent YoY), suggesting a gradual shift away from more restrictive fulfilment requirements.

The same pattern is visible in what people are buying. While traditional Mother’s Day categories such as Food and Drink (+2.86 percent) and Cosmetics (+3.58 percent) continue to perform steadily, the strongest growth is coming from less conventional segments.

Categories such as Pet and Animal (+28.23 percent) and Sports Equipment (+21.43 percent) all recorded strong increases, pointing to a shift toward more personalised, interest-led purchases.

At the same time, more predictable categories are declining. For example Fashion (-13.37 percent) saw reduced volumes, suggesting that generic gifting is losing ground.