Mother’s Day Marketing

There is still time to write about this…just. Mother’s Day is fast-approaching, but a last minute push to try and get customers through the door and purchasing diamonds and/or jewelry may well pay dividends.

Mother’s Day is a big deal in the US in particular, and is one of the barometers by which the strength or otherwise of the jewelry industry and even the economy itself is tested. The National Retail Federation reported the findings of Prosper Insights and Analytics Report, which estimated that US consumers will spend $4.2 billion on jewelry on Mother’s Day. In 2015, that number was $4.3 billion – so very similar. Total spend (including experiences, cards, flowers, gadgets etc.) is expected to reach $21.4 billion, with average spend down slightly to $172.22 compared to $172.63 – which was a record – in 2015.

What Valentine’s Day is to February, Mother’s Day is to May and healthy spending and results can help businesses to maintain the momentum that has been shown by the better-than-expected performance of the US jewelry industry since the start of 2016. February’s data showed that total sales of fine jewelry and watches in the US rose by 4.5 percent compared to February 2015 and suggest that preliminary sales forecasts for the US jewelry industry for the entire year show a gain of 3 percent to 4 percent.

So, how do jewelers and other businesses get consumers to come in and spend on jewelry? This may seem obvious, but marketing is key and that includes last-minute emails or even sms, depending on how you communicate with your customers. It may be too late this year to think strategically, but thinking tactically could still prove beneficial.

Recent research from Yesmail and Persado, according to an article on marketingprofs.com showed that a Mother’s Day email subject line that elicits emotions has a 21.5 percent higher open rate than those that do not. Two of the most effective emotions to tap into are encouragement (suggesting that consumers give their mother the gift that she really wants) and curiosity (asking a teasing question to pique a customer’s interest). Incorporating Mother’s Day references at the beginning of the subject line has also been shown to be more effective. On mobile devices this becomes increasingly significant, with a 37-percent higher open rate when Mother’s Day is at the opening of the subject line compared to the end.

Time will tell if the apparent buoyancy of the US jewelry market will be enhanced by Mother’s Day. I hope that it is. I hope that retailers have or have had a successful run-up to this important retail day. But I reiterate what I said ahead of Valentine’s Day, namely that “retail event days” such as these are vital, but we must also find ways to encourage consumers through our doors during the rest of the year as well.