Mother’s Day comes early to the UK (the second earliest just after Sweden), forcing marketers into a mad dash between Valentine’s Day and the Easter craze. Most other countries celebrate Mother’s Day in May (see worldwide map).
Besides being a nice celebration, it can be a lucrative time for retailers. Ecommerce businesses in the UK saw an increase in online revenues in the lead up to Mother’s Day 2022, up 54% year-on-year and up two-fold on pre-pandemic levels. Traffic to eCommerce websites ahead of the day also rose 32% year-on-year (Internet Retailing).
To stand out around gift-giving occasions like Mothers’ Day, brands need to provide an exceptionally convenient experience. Shoppers should be able to find the right present easily, and shipping and returns should be straightforward.
Here are 12 of our favorite Mother’s Day email examples to inspire you, along with some tips on how to make an impact with Mother’s Day marketing:
Tip: click on the images for the full email creative
1) Give the gift of experience
This email from White Stuff offers product suggestions based on different activities. This appeals to emotions by helping customers imagine spending quality time with their mother. Shoppers feel they are buying into an experience, rather than a product.
Marketers can also target product recommendations based on local weather for optimal engagement.
Source: White Stuff email
2) Offer gift-giving advice
Want the customer to choose your product rather than a competitor’s? Use them as a “bad example”. A really strong and cheeky way of marketing from Harvey Nichols, but definitely stands out from the crowd! We loved it.
Curating ‘Editor’s Pick’ product suggestions also adds a sense of authority, and makes the email seem more personal.
Source: Harvey Nichols email
3) Make it easy to find presents on a budget
This email from Kate Spade cleverly gives customers the immediate option to shop for gifts within a certain price range. When it’s clear that products are available within a budget, customers who otherwise might have dismissed the email may be tempted to take a look.
Marketers can also consider segmenting their database so that price-conscious shoppers receive recommendations for discounted products, while big spenders see suggestions for higher margin products.
Source: Kate Spade email
Brilliant Earth offers a fun twist on helping shoppers find products that suit their budget with an interactive quiz. This serves to delight customers in their search for the perfect present and increase engagement with the email.
Source: Brilliant Earth email
4) Encourage urgency with countdown timers
Placing a countdown timer into your email is an opportunity to increase urgency, as customers want to snap up a good deal before it runs out. This is especially true when a deadline like Mother’s Day is approaching!
Whistlefish combines a countdown timer with a special offer for maximum impact in this beautifully designed Mother’s Day offer.
With images served in real-time at the moment of open, retailers can be sure that shoppers know exactly how long they have left to buy.
Source: Whistlefish email
5) Recommend the most relevant products
Thorntons recommends products based on previous behavior to help find the right products.
When providing product recommendations for gift-based holidays, it’s important to base suggestions on the shopper’s most recent browse behavior, More than one in four (26%) of consumers wish retailers would distinguish between presents they are buying for someone else, versus items they’ve purchased for themselves in the past.
Source: Thorntons email
Learn more:
Thorntons’ triggered emails account for approximately 6% of all direct revenue
6) Use social proof
Social proof is an essential addition to any good marketing email, since it builds shoppers’ trust in your brand and boosts conversions. In fact, Buyagift has seen a 13% increase in sales since using social proof in their email marketing.
Lakeland uses star ratings in their Mother’s Day email to make their highly rated products stand out and give customers peace of mind when making a purchase decision. Over half of consumers (56%) look for star ratings when making a purchase, making this a nifty social proof tactic to add to your emails.
Source: Lakeland email
7) Use authentic images
Why not put “real mothers” in your emails? Goodwood may or may not have included a real-life mother in their message, but this example highlights the idea of including authentic people in your marketing. Showing actual customers in promotional content is an emotionally effective way to stand out from the millions of photoshopped or stock photos.
Incorporating user generated content via social feeds is a great way to incorporate personal, authentic-feeling images in your marketing emails.
Source: Goodwood email
8) Reassure shoppers about delivery
Delivery arrivals are always a worry for customers, especially for time-sensitive orders such as Mother’s Day gifts. Offering next day delivery can convince last minute shoppers to order from you. And even better, when it comes in a stylish way like Jo Malone did here.
Source: Jo Malone email
9) Make it more personal with a coupon
Using your customers’ names in email marketing is not enough anymore. Instead, you could try personalizing a coupon as part of your Mother’s Day email marketing campaign.
Below is an example by Famously YOU Rewards which uses both name personalization at the top of the email, but also uses a coupon to encourage customers to buy their Mother’s Day gift from them.
Source: Famously YOU Rewards email
10) Catch their eye
By not only using strong, bolded text and colors, but by also using a dynamic hero banner that moves, you’re likely going to be more likely to stand out amongst the crowded Mother’s Day emails.
Franklin makes use of a moving dynamic image with their gift recommendations, guiding the customer’s attention to the body of the email and the ‘BUY HERE’ button.
Source: Franklin email
11) Show sensitivity
Mother’s Day isn’t a happy occasion for everyone, and brands are increasingly acknowledging this in their email marketing. Give people the chance to opt out of Mother’s Day emails to avoid unhappy customers and show you’re a company that cares.
Waitrose sends an email in advance to ensure customers for whom Mother’s Day is an emotional day can opt out of their Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns. Crucially, they remind customers that this doesn’t mean they won’t get any emails, being totally transparent that this isn’t the same as unsubscribing and they will still get all the other benefits.
Source: Waitrose email
Learn more: How to take your opt-out experience beyond email
12) Come to the rescue when customers are late
There will always be customers who put off buying presents until the last minute – so last minute that delivery times don’t match up, and most gifts are already sold out.
This is where you can come to the rescue! Put together an email marketing campaign with ideas for last-minute gifts and gift cards that will warm any mother’s heart.
Framebridge does this in the email example below.
Source: Framebridge email
Download your copy of Five Easy Ways to Make Your Emails Perform Better for more ways to delight your customers with your email marketing this Mother’s Day.
Disclaimer:
This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.
