• by Amy Lanzi , Op-Ed Contributor, May 6, 2021

This weekend, brands and consumers will be celebrating the women who have gone above and beyond over the past year -- putting all needs in their households ahead of their own.

Moms have spent the majority of the pandemic working full-time, helping with remote learning, providing around-the-clock childcare, cooking, cleaning and more. So this year, what do you give the woman who has given you everything? 

A recent study from OnePoll and Mejuri found that over half of the women polled bought themselves a Mother’s Day gift. This, coupled with the growing ease of purchasing online, makes it that much more difficult for gift-giving occasions like Mother’s Day.

For shoppers and marketers looking to connect with moms in a special way this year, it’s more than a singular day -- it’s about winning the day-to-day moments all year-round and finding unique moments of connection. 

Here are some tips marketers can consider when thinking about Mother’s Day and the moments that follow. 

Recruit Springmas Shoppers 

Mother’s Day is the first big event in 2021 where people are emerging from their homes and starting to celebrate what Drizly has coined “Springmas” -- a series of events for which families can gather again, whether it’s graduations, outdoor barbecues, pool parties and more.

For marketers, this is the time to recruit or recapture shoppers who are ready to reengage -- both the gift-giver celebrating mom and mom looking for reasons to treat herself.

The key here is creativity: focusing on celebratory experiences that are somewhat lavish or centered on “me moments” for mom.  

Celebrate the Months of Mom

We’re seeing longer promotion cycles this year leading into Mother’s Day given COVID-impacted shipping delays.

Retailers are finding unique ways to celebrate mom, such as Walmart who extended Mother’s Day into Mother’s May and introduced unique outdoor Mother’s May markets, custom cards or curated gift lists.

For marketers, Mother’s Day is the kickoff of a series of moments to not only buy for her, but also for her to celebrate herself and get her home ready for the summer season.

In addition, 35% of those surveyed in the annual NRF Mothers Day survey are planning on gifting subscriptions so they can keep up the celebration of mom long after Mother’s Day has wrapped. 

Promote Moments of Togetherness 

The vaccine has spurred new optimism with many returning to actual stores to purchase gifts for mom. CJ Affiliate’s network data shows retail and travel Average Order Values (AOVs) are up by 24% and 111% YOY, respectively. In retail, we’re seeing an uptick in YoY brand revenue in the 10 days leading up to Mother’s Day across the following categories: Recreation & Leisure (56%), Clothing & Apparel (54%), Computer & Electronics (40%), Health & Wellness (35%) and Entertainment (20%).

On the travel side, we’re seeingconsumers booking trips further in advance, with 20.4% of bookings for travel in 12 weeks or later vs. 2019’s 12.7%.

We’re also seeing travel bookings occurring within 7 days finally normalizing to pre-pandemic rates (40% vs. 39% in 2019). Travel marketers should ramp up efforts, as Mother’s Day planning and desire for in-person gatherings is also igniting peoples’ interest and intent to make real holiday plans for Memorial Day and beyond.

Remember They’re Cool Moms, Not Regular Moms 

The COVID-19 pandemic trained even the most luddite of moms to shop online and try their hand at TikTok, livestream shopping events and virtual try-ons. As decision makers for large household purchases, moms are turning to influencers, Facebook friends and online reviews to research products and compare pricing.

According to a Publicis Media study on social commerce, consumers are discovering new brands on social media at the same rate as TV at 27%. With 52% of marketers intending to increase Instagram investment in 2021, social media’s reputation as a discovery destination is set to grow.

Knowing that moms this year are more willing to splurge on impulse social purchases and treat themselves after a year of basic isolation, marketers should facilitate serendipitous discovery moments with new brands and ensure shoppable social media ads continue to complement the browsing experience rather than overwhelm people’s feeds. 

These trends show us more than ever brands looking to celebrate moms and have an impact this Mother’s Day will need to look beyond the holiday and create their own moments to stand out from the crowd.

Marketers who inject creativity, tap into emotional connections and desire to travel, as well as use tech like livestreaming and AR will help make gift giving unique for mom – whether it’s gifted or bought for herself – and allow their brand show up in the moments that matter.