Forget flowers and chocs, mums want DIY jobs done

With Mother’s Day looming fast, a new analysis suggests that the staples of chocolates and flowers might no longer be suitable; in fact, it seems mums are now wanting their offspring to help with jobs around the house, fuelling sales of DIY products.

The analysis of Google search terms for the run-up to Mother’s Day in March 2021, carried out by delivery business Gophr, saw a 170% increase in searches for ‘screwdriver’, a 50% jump in popularity for both ‘B&Q shelves’, and ‘power drill’. ‘Homebase near me’ also saw a 36% increase.

Gophr reckons this points to a surge in demand for DIY tools and materials as grown-up kids, who have come round for a visit on Mother’s Day, help mum with all those jobs she has been putting off and which may have stacked up during the pandemic. Quite what any partner or dad is up to is not revealed.

If this bares any resemblance to reality, it also suggests practical gifts like a drill set for mothers are not just fodder for stand-up comics, but can make a real difference when wielded by a practically-minded son or daughter on Mother’s Day, the report’s author insist.

One study claimed that around £930m is spent on Mother’s Day gifts in the UK each year; that is a lot of nails.
Gophr chief executive Seb Robert said: “Mother’s Day is the catalyst for grown-up kids to make their mum’s life easier with all those niggling DIY chores. The search data shows many of them have realised what really counts is doing all of those jobs, however large or small, on their Mothers’ Day visit.

“Not to mention that many people have not been able to visit their mums during the past couple of years, so the jobs have stacked up. That means a sudden demand for everything from paint to cables to power tools, which involves either a quick trip to the local home improvement store or a same-day home delivery just ahead of a Mother’s Day visit.

“Just as DIY brands and retailers should be ready for a jump in demand for popular products, people planning a visit to their mum should be prepared to help with all those jobs she’s been aiming to get done on Mother’s Day.”

Back in 2017, a similar analysis, carried out by online retargeting specialist Criteo found that washing machines, vacuums and kitchen appliances drove the highest basket values, although there was at least one crumb of comfort for mums wanting to escape domesticity: demand for gardening tools rocketed by 193% in the week before the big day.