Two Weeks to Mother's Day and Every Country Is Preparing Differently

Two weeks from Mother's Day in North America and Australia, something curious stands out: the countdown looks completely different depending on where shoppers are buying. In the United States, seasonal gifting has climbed to 17% of the mix, new baby gifts sit at 13%, and congratulations gifts match that at 13%. Five separate occasions each account for more than a tenth of all US gifting. Across the Atlantic, the United Kingdom barely registers the shift. Six out of ten UK gifts this week were for a birthday.

The gap is striking. Same week, same global moment, but every country is on its own clock.

Six out of ten gifts from UK shoppers were birthday gifts this week, while the US split across five occasions, none higher than 36%.

Malta leans into Mother's Day earlier than anyone

Malta, a small island accounting for 6% of global gifting volume, stands out this week with the highest seasonal share of any top country. Nearly a third of Maltese gifts were tied to a seasonal holiday, compared to 17% in the US and 15% in Australia. Mother's Day now represents 79% of all seasonal gifting worldwide, and Malta appears to be leaning in earlier and harder than larger markets.

Australia sits somewhere in between. Birthday gifting still leads there at 53%, but seasonal gifts have risen to 15%, and new baby gifts make up another 10%. Children in Australia are sending birthday gifts to mothers and grandmothers with notes full of excitement about shared celebrations. The Mother's Day signal is building alongside birthday activity rather than replacing it.

In the US, the picture is more layered. Families are sending gifts to grandmothers with specialty treats, couples are marking anniversaries with art and elegant packaging, and colleagues are writing notes of appreciation during workplace transitions. The American gifting mix this week reads less like a single holiday buildup and more like a season of overlapping milestones.

The Netherlands stays focused on care, not calendar

While most countries bend toward seasonal occasions this time of year, the Netherlands follows a different rhythm. Nearly half of Dutch gifting this week had no occasion attached at all. Just-because gifts led at 47%, followed by get-well gifts at 16% and congratulations at 15%. Birthday gifting, which dominates in the UK and Australia, accounted for just 11% in the Netherlands.

This care-oriented pattern has been consistent across recent weeks. Dutch shoppers are writing heartfelt notes to mothers and loved ones with no holiday prompting them. Friends are sending thoughtful gifts. The Netherlands treats gifting less as a response to a date on the calendar and more as an ongoing expression of closeness.

That contrast sharpens when placed next to the UK. British shoppers concentrate heavily on birthdays, with 61% of gifts falling in that category. Anniversary and wedding gifts make up another 9% combined. The UK gifting profile is occasion-driven and specific, while the Dutch profile is relationship-driven and fluid.

What this means for merchants selling across borders

More than half of all gifts this week crossed a border. That number has held steady for weeks, which means merchants with international customers are already navigating these regional differences whether they realize it or not.

The practical takeaway: a Mother's Day campaign that lands perfectly in the US may not resonate in the UK, where birthday gifting still dominates. A seasonal push aimed at Malta could perform well right now, given that nearly a third of Maltese gifts already carry a holiday tag. And for merchants with Dutch customers, year-round care messaging, rather than holiday-specific campaigns, lines up naturally with how those shoppers already behave.

Gifting is global, but the reasons behind it are deeply local. Two weeks from Mother's Day, the most useful thing a merchant can know is not just that the holiday is coming, but how each country is approaching it differently.