Mother’s Day is estimated to be worth over £400 million to the gifts and greetings cards industry. As retailers gear-up for one of spring’s biggest gifting events, Rakuten Marketing outlines three retail trends from across its network that marketers should take into account.
The trends are based on data insights from its network of over 400 online retailers.
Topline insights include:
• 27% of mother’s day of sales are driven by shopping advice sites – highlighting the growing importance of shoppable content sites in the purchase journey
• A further 22% of sales are driven by vouchers and special offers – proof Brits still love a bargain
• Sales through tablets are on the rise around Mother’s Day up 70% year on year
• The larger gap between Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day is promising for order value
Mum’s the word, bloggers know best
It’s the one gift shoppers can’t ask their mothers advice on, but data shows this doesn’t stop them seeking advice from others online. In 2013, 27% of sales through the Rakuten Marketing network were driven by shopping advice sites, including shoppable content sites such as Fashiolista.com and Polyvore. A further 22% of purchases were incentivised by voucher schemes and special offers. Demonstrating that sound shopping advice and value for money are top of most shopper’s agendas in March.
What a difference a day makes
The date of Mother’s Day markedly affects its success, research shows that typically the closer Mother’s Day is to Valentine’s Day the worse it performs[2]. This was echoed in sales data from Rakuten Marketing’s network, which showed the average order value fell 15% in 2013 when Mother’s Day was on the 10th March, that’s compared to a lesser drop of 3% on the 18th March in 2012. With Mother’s Day scheduled for the 30th, retailers should be optimistic for improved sales in 2014. Typically Mother’s Day sales spike six to seven days before the day itself.
Tablets springing sales
Although PC’s still dominate as the shopping device of choice for Mother’s Day, data showed gifts are increasingly being snapped up through tablets as well. Sales through tablets were up 70% year on year, accounting for 17% of Mother’s Day gifts bought through Rakuten Marketing’s 400 online retailers in 2013.
Commenting on the trend Mark Haviland, MD Rakuten Marketing said, “To capture a healthy piece of this £400 million marketplace retailers should place a premium on marketing through rich shopping content sites which make shopping about more than just the transaction.
Furthermore failing to optimise and make sites trackable for mobile traffic, in particular tablets, means retailers could miss out on around one in every five sales (25%).
www.rakuten.com