Mother's Day is around the corner, and with the day being recognized as the second biggest gifting day after Christmas, spouses and children are scrambling to think of a special gift for moms. Special occasions have always played a key role in marketing consumer brands and ad marketers focus on these occasions for months as a way to capitalize and boost sales. Retailers and marketers get a great opportunity this gifting season to demonstrate their creativity in helping consumers make appropriate purchase decisions and also make the day special for moms. Mobile devices present an opportunity for retailers, regardless of the type of business, to reach consumers whenever and wherever they are. Now, with growing smartphone usage, it has become even easier for mobile consumers to search for gift options and do that last minute shopping. Hence, it is important to include a mobile component in a retailers' marketing initiatives, whether it is a banner ad, SMS campaign or an application, to not only further engage with consumers, but also to let them do last-minute shopping while they are on the go.
Working hard to support the family day in and day out, moms will be more than recognized for their devotion this Mother's Day. According to National Retail Federation's (NRF) Mother's Day spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, US consumers will spend an average of $168.94 on mom, up 11 percent from last years $152.52. Total spending is expected to reach $20.7 billion. The survey reveals that 14.1 percent of shoppers - the highest in the survey's history - will spend more than $2.3 billion on electronics, treating mom to a tablet or smartphone. More than one-third (34.4%) of gift givers will buy jewelry, spending a total of $4.2 billion. Additionally, gift givers will splurge on a special outing, such as brunch or dinner ($3.5 billion), flowers ($2.3 billion), gift cards ($2.0 billion), clothing or clothing accessories ($1.7 billion), and personal service gifts, such as a day at the spa ($1.5 billion). In addition to celebrating "mom," Americans will buy Mothers Day gifts for other women in their life, including their wife (23.6%), daughter (10.5%), grandmother (8.5%) and sister (8.2%). However, most will buy for their mother or stepmother (65.2%).
According to the NRF survey findings in US, 51.1% of tablet owners and 42.5% of smartphone owners will use their respective devices to research or make a purchase.
Mother's Day Mobile Shopping Activities (% of Owners of each device)
| Tablet | Smartphone | |
| Plan to Research Products/Compare Prices | 35.9% | 26.3% |
| Plan to Purchase Products | 20.9% | 11.7% |
| Plan to Redeem Coupons | 11.5% | 10.5% |
| Plan to look up Retailer Information (location, store hours, directions, etc.) | 19.8% | 16.7% |
| Plan to use Apps to Research or Purchase Products | 11.8% | 7.7% |
| Plan to use Apps to Compare Prices | 10.9% | 9.2% |
| Do not plan to Research or Make a Purchase with my | 48.9% | 57.5% |
Here are a few tips for retailers to consider while planning a mobile ad campaign as part of the overall mobile marketing strategy:
Mobile is an important channel and mobile messaging is very effective in occasional marketing initiatives as it gives the shopper an opportunity to shop on the go and not miss the occasion. However, it is important to tailor the message to the special occasion and provide compelling and last minute offers to drive traffic. This Mother's Day, mobile can be your last minute companion for gifting moms and creating your most successful mothers day ever. We at InMobi wish all moms a Happy Mother's Day and would love to know how your mobile helped you this year on this special occasion.
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