Mother’s Day is one of the most popular gift-giving holidays in the U.S. Yet, unlike Christmas, it tends to be much more of a last-minute-shopping occasion. While we adore our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and all of our friends who are mothers, we usually postpone gift shopping until the final days (and hours) to make a purchase.
Does your web-marketing strategy support shoppers who are both in a hurry and highly motivated?
In its annual Mother’s Day Survey (2017), the National Retail Foundation predicted that Mother’s Day gift spending would add up to $23.6 billion (an average of $187 per shopper). That number has steadily increased over time, and this was the highest reported figure in the 14-year history of the survey. The same study found that 30% of shoppers would shop online, up from 27% in 2016. It also found that 34% of smartphone owners would research gift ideas on their phones.
If consumers are confronted with a website that is difficult to navigate, or a lack of holiday-specific promotional information and pricing, they’re probably going to go elsewhere.
But when online retailers deploy a Mother’s Day strategy that keeps the unique considerations and constraints of last-minute shoppers in mind—curated choice of items, competitive pricing, fast delivery speeds, etc.—the results are undoubtedly stronger.
Conversion rates are not only up 70% in the final few weeks before Mother’s Day, they’re up as high as 1,100 to 1,400 percent in the three days before Mother’s Day because of mobile shoppers.
Because Mother’s Day shoppers are so rushed, they’re highly motivated. They’re also easy to reach—but only if you plan strategically. Flowers, gifts, gift cards, jewelry, greeting cards, chocolate, and appliances are all popular last-minute gifts. Here’s how to make your commerce strategy deliver an exceptional last-minute shopping experience.
Use a Strategic Web-Marketing Plan
To ensure your Mother’s Day offerings have the highest possible visibility, use a web-marketing plan that presents you to shoppers at all the right times and in all the right places.
- When you start your Mother’s Day efforts, utilize dynamic retargeting to keep CPCs competitive, take advantage of growing shopper interest, and drive traffic to your site to build cookie pools.
- As your promotional efforts build, maintain high CPCs and plan to run budgets uncapped right up to Mother’s Day. As the big day gets closer, big-ticket items (e.g., appliances and high-end jewelry) start heating up.
- To build momentum, enhance visibility with sponsored products on search results and cart pages, and maintain high CPCs to win more revenues.
- In the final few days, optimize your mobile strategy. Last-minute shoppers are going to be shopping and buying on mobile—so make sure your offerings are front and center on their tablets and phones.
Maximize Your Mobile Strategy
Mobile is your Mother’s Day ally. It’s what will let you take full advantage of spontaneous, on-the-go buys. As shoppers prepare to celebrate all the moms in their lives, be ready for last-minute purchases of wallets, watches, bags, jewelry—essentially, anything that could translate to a happy surprise for mom.
During the crucial final week countdown to Mother’s Day, mobile’s share of total sales steadily increases from Monday onward—and it overtakes desktop sales by Saturday, making up for the majority share of sales over Mother’s Day weekend. Even on Mother’s Day itself, customers are still shopping. And they can definitely be reached on their tablets or smartphones.
Whether the Mother’s Day gift purchase is made on a desktop, tablet, or mobile, make sure each touchpoint is consistent with all others for branding and pricing. That consistency really works in your favor as the customer does their hurried research prior to the final sale.
Appeal to the “Omni-shopper” with Consistency at All Touch Points
The smart retailer knows that today’s online shopper is a motivated Omni-shopper. These shoppers are online, in-store, and — thanks to mobile, — often in both places at once. And once they know what they want, they go after it immediately.
To appeal to the Mother’s Day omni-shopper, make sure your brand’s look, feel, and calls-to-action are mirrored at all touch points. In store and online, make it easy for shoppers to see that you have their best interests in mind. Don’t offer one sale price on your website and another on in-store signage. Everything must work together to ensure shoppers that their happiness, convenience, and savings are your highest priority. Make sure you connect online and offline data sources to create the most relevant ad experiences.
Use Special Promotions to make your offer Irresistible
There are endless ways to make your company stand out on Mother’s Day. Here are examples of companies that are using unique promotions to really stand out:
- This year, Etsy is using a special listing to promote its online Mother’s Day campaign. Eligible, ready-to-ship, and gift-wrappable items have been pre-selected for promotion on the Etsy homepage in curated Editor’s Picks pages.
- Kohl’s has Mother’s Day front and center on its homepage. Everything from fragrances to sleepwear to appliances is on sale, and oh-so-easy to find.
- Hallmark is definitely in the Mother’s Day swing of things. Once primarily a greeting card retailer, this year it has more than 600 unique mom-inspired holiday gift offerings featured on its homepage.
Mother’s Day presents retailers with a unique set of web-marketing challenges. But when addressed both imaginatively and strategically, those challenges can be transformed into enhanced sales numbers. This year, make the web your profit partner.
John Roswech is Executive Vice President of Brand Solutions for Criteo