Consumers will spend $23.6 billion on mom this
year -- up from $21.4 billion in 2016, according to estimates by the National Retail Federation (NFR). There are several trends that marketers should keep in mind even after the holiday.
Leveraging data from the Viant Advertising Cloud, which includes aggregate data from about 250 million U.S. consumers, the Time-owned people-based advertising company analyzed the gifts consumers
bought for mothers in 2016,comparing two popular brands: Kay Jewelers and 1-800-Flowers.
Viant found that shopping habits depend on family dynamics. Jewelry is a popular gift
for mothers of young children, but as the kids grow up, the likelihood of mothers receiving flowers rather than expensive bracelets increases.
Marketers looking to analyze the dynamics will
find that a major shift occurs between age 13 and 15. The data shows that families with kids under 12 were 45% more likely to shop at Kay Jewelers than adult children, while families with teenagers
were just 31% more likely to shop at Kay Jewelers.
Until the kids turn 10, families with children are not much more likely to buy Mother’s Day gifts at 1-800-Flowers.com than adult
children who do not have kids of their own.
Families with kids 10 to 15 years of age are about 25% more likely to buy flowers, and families with kids 16 to 18 are 55% more likely to spend on
flowers.
It makes sense that buyers with kids spend less. During Mother's Day, the average spend during Mother's Day purchases made from homes without kids spend is $312, whereas homes with
kids spend between $289 and $270. Off-season between March and June, those numbers are $328 -- and between $271 and 283, respectively, according to Viant.
Data from Criteo suggests that
jewelry sales in spring continue to increase up to Mother's Day, but so do small appliances and gift baskets. Traffic on retail sites for jewelry increased by 26% in 2016, whereas unit sales rose 31%;
and the amount spent, 44%. Small appliances rose 11%, 20% and 35%, along with food gift baskets at 45%, 89%, and 102%, respectively.
Earrings took the No. 1 spot as the top jewelry items with
a 45% increase in unit sales and 89% in dollars. Believe it or not, vacuums rose 41% in unit sales and 58% in dollars.
Yahoo suggests developing content-focused challenges related to finances
and time, which are the top concerns for moms, according to a recent study from Yahoo. Moms are 11% more likely to perform searches related to careers and employment.
Highlight family-friendly
vacation ideas, like vacation homes or innovative airline carriers, because moms are 23% more likely to choose travel options like HomeAway and 21% more likely to choose JetBlue when it comes to an
airline. Also, think in the moment since moms are 80% more likely to use photography apps.