Assemble Meaningful Gifts and Marketing Campaigns Now
With quarantine and stay-at-home orders still in place for most states due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the possibility that restaurants, spas, and certain stores will remain closed for the first weeks of May, retail shoppers are faced with a new hurdle: purchasing and gifting a meaningful Mother’s Day present.
The National Retail Federation shared new information late last month about consumers’ Mother’s Day spending plans, and it’s actually great news for retailers with an online storefront. The data from this year’s NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics annual Mother’s Day survey shows that consumers are prepared to spend significantly more on gifts for Mom this year.
Despite 71 percent of consumers practicing social distancing and feeling concerned about the effects of coronavirus on their health and finances, consumers are actually planning to drop even more money on gifts than they have in the past. NRF reports the average expected spending is $204.74 per gift.
Consumers under age 25 reported they actually intend to spend an average of $39 more this year than they did last year – likely because they plan to choose more expensive electronic gifts. “That includes things like Alexa, Google home devices or Facebook Portals that make it easier to connect with mom” during times like these requiring separation, according to the NRF report.
Older consumers, ages 35 to 44, who are likely celebrating a spouse this year in addition to their own mothers, say they also plan to spend extra, likely because they feel the need to recognize their partners’ extra efforts in child-rearing with most school districts moving to online learning.
Shoppers who would normally treat mom to a dining experience are tacking that cost onto the purchase price of a gift as well. Overwhelmingly, consumers say they are not focused on finding the most “cost-effective” present.
Review the full set of Mother’s Day data.
What Does This Mean for Online Retailers?
Businesses selling tangible gifts are likely to see an increase in spending for Mother’s Day, especially if they’re offering unique gifts that create memories – two intents consumers say will guide their purchases this year. Online retailers, including businesses that usually provide personal services, like hair salons and day spas, might consider assembling manicure or hair-care gift baskets, for example, to meet the needs of their customers.
With much of the population avoiding browsing stores for the perfect gift, buyers are likely to turn to online shopping and direct shipping for their gifts. To keep skin in the Mother’s Day game, retailers must show their target demographics that they offer the perfect gifts for moms, grandmas, and wives.
Digital Marketing Reaches Your Audience
With the Internet usage rates up in 2020, the best way to reach your target demographic – folks looking to buy gifts for their mother-figures – is online and through other digital channels. Serving ads on a variety of platforms helps make your message memorable.
- Remarketing: Targeting your previous customers with display ads is a surefire way to suggest gift ideas to people who already trust your brand. You can also target affinity audiences who are already interested in your product and are ready to buy.
- Search Engine Optimization: Blog about Mother’s Day gift ideas now, using tactical, gift-related keywords, to help organically increase your rank in Google Search. You also can improve your Google rank by refining your page navigation and website design.
- Social Media: Use appealing images of available gift options, plus information on how to order them. Social media ads feel like a natural extension of a user’s experience, so they don’t come across as too disruptive when browsing their news or Instagram feeds.
Don’t forget to utilize Pinterest! This social media outlet is as popular as ever, with more than 335 million users worldwide; two-thirds of users are women ages 18 to 64, and 80 percent of U.S. women with children are tuned in to the site. Women in households tend to make gift-buying decisions, plus they’ll be the recipients of your merchandise, so make sure your stuff is on their wish lists. - Search and PPC Ads: Get your products in front of people searching for Mother’s Day gift ideas by positioning your ads in a way to capture those using the Internet to brainstorm possibilities, based on their previous search queries and website history. If you have an Amazon storefront, use Amazon Ads to suggest your merchandise to shoppers.
- Video Ads: With users watching more than one billion hours of video each day, businesses have a captive audience! Video ads on streaming services (over-the-top media services, or OTT) allow you to drill down to your specific demographic by zip code or city, which means even if you are only offering gift cards for future experiences, people near you are taking your business into consideration.
Mother’s Day Marketing To-Do List
If you’re ready to get in on the Mother’s Day gifting frenzy, start today because time is running out. You’ll need to:
- Assemble gift baskets or merchandise bundles that appeal to moms, or identify standalone products to highlight.
- Strategically select how you’ll serve ads to potential buyers, depending on your target demographic.
- Develop and build your digital ads, and get them submitted to the proper outlet to carry out your campaign.
Need Help?
If you’re not sure what to do – perhaps you don’t have an online storefront, but have product you could sell, or you aren’t comfortable with optimizing Google ads, iFocus Marketing is prepared to guide you through your marketing strategy, or even help you brainstorm how you can get a chunk of the Mother’s Day gift spend.
Contact one of our digital marketing experts today to get started.
