The COVID-19 pandemic will keep many families apart this Mother’s Day, with nearly 30% of 1,005 U.S.-based respondents to a survey commissioned by UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS) and published Tuesday saying that ongoing health and safety protocols will compel them to ship their gifts instead of presenting them in person.
In all, about 37% of the respondents said they planned to ship their Mother’s Day gift this year, according to the survey, the first that Atlanta-based UPS has ever commissioned on the holiday, which falls on Sunday. About 32% of the respondents said it would be easier to ship the gift than deliver it in person. Of those planning to ship, 28% said their gifts would be shipped less than 50 miles.
The survey also found that shipping behavior varied between genders. About 43% of men said they would be more likely to ship Mother’s Day gifts, compared with 31% of women. About 34% of all respondents said they would ship early this year, with 72% saying they would use ground-delivery services.
About 42% of respondents said they would shop online for gifts, according to the survey.
UPS said that Mother’s Day has been its strongest first-half shipping holiday for the past 15 years, with four times more volume than Valentine’s Day. The Atlanta-based company did not comment when asked about additional information on shipping trends.
The survey was conducted by Atomik Research between April 23 and 26.