A Mother’s Day Marketing Guide for Small Business Owners

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and for small business owners, it’s the perfect opportunity to show appreciation for all the amazing moms out there while also boosting sales. With so many businesses vying for attention during this holiday, it can be challenging to come up with unique and effective marketing ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd.

However, with a little creativity and planning — and this Mother’s Day marketing guide — you can create a successful campaign that drives traffic to your business. But first, let’s look at some interesting statistics about Mother’s Day for e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sellers.

Is Mother’s Day a Profitable Holiday for Online Sellers?

There are more than 85 million moms in the U.S., and 84% of Americans celebrate Mother’s Day. No wonder Mother’s Day spending is at an all-time high! In 2022, Mother’s Day spending totaled $31.7 billion, and consumers were expected to spend $35.7 in 2023. Imagine what 2026 could bring!

The average expected spending per person for 2022 was a whopping $245.76, so we’d say Mother’s Day could absolutely be a profitable holiday for online sellers. Over 35% of shoppers plan to buy their gifts online, which is more great news for e-commerce sellers.

Who Is Receiving and Giving Mother’s Day Gifts?

First things first, let’s define the audience for your Mother’s Day marketing strategy. And that means broadening your Mother’s Day strategy beyond just mom herself.

While 63% of people buy Mother’s Day gifts for their birth mom or stepmom, anyone who has been a mother figure, from a sister to a friend’s mom, is also a potential gift recipient. In fact, celebrating pet moms is also popular, so if you sell items for pets or pet parents, don’t sleep on marketing to them.

Here are a few more interesting statistics:

• 23% of Mother’s Day shoppers buy for their wives
• 10% buy for their daughters
• And others are buying for their sisters, grandmothers, and friends
• Overall, 57% of moms have received gifts from non-family members

Takeaway: Focus your Mother’s Day campaign messaging on moms but don’t be shortsighted here. Include messaging for stepmoms, grandparents, aunts, godmoms, pet moms, and other mother figures to ensure you are capturing as much of your target audience as possible.

What Are the Most Popular Mother’s Day Gifts?

Mother’s Day gifts often center on greeting cards and flowers, special one-on-one time, or personal services like massages and facials. But a Mother’s Day gift could be anything — from handmade bath bombs and candles to a new sweater or painting.

Here’s a look at the percentage of spending in some popular e-commerce categories in 2022;

• 75%: greeting cards
• 72%: flowers
• 52%: gift cards
• 45%: clothing and accessories
• 41% jewelry
• 39% product subscriptions

Takeaway: You don’t have to be a florist or masseuse to cash in on Mother’s Day. In fact, pretty much anything you’d want to sell online can be positioned as a Mother’s Day gift.  

When Do Consumers Buy Mother’s Day Gifts?

While you might be hoping for a major bump in sales in the month leading up to Mother’s Day, you’ll probably have to wait a little longer.

• 25% of Mother’s Day shoppers complete purchases three or more weeks ahead of the holiday
• 27% buy gifts two weeks in advance

That leaves nearly half of all consumers still shopping in the final days leading up to the holiday.

• Finally, 18% of shoppers wait until the final 48 hours of Mother’s Day season to buy gifts for mom.

Takeaway: Keep your Mother’s Day strategy going strong up until the last minute. This includes social media posts, email campaigns, pay-per-click ads, and more. Highlight expedited shipping options in the final week before the holiday. Free shipping is always a big enticement for buyers — and shoppers are always looking for deals around holidays.

4-Step Mother’s Day Marketing Guide

Now that we’ve taken a look at projected spending and who you can target with your advertising, let’s get into how to promote your products. Whether you run a restaurant, boutique, or online store, these cost-friendly tips will help you create a memorable Mother’s Day experience for your customers and show them how much you appreciate their business.

Step 1: Decide What Your Deal(s) Will Be

Depending on time, resources, and budget, your Mother’s Day campaign may be something as simple as ‘X’ amount off total purchase or something as complex as free gift-wrapping with any order. (Just make sure you can tie a pretty bow.)

Here are some more ideas:

• Create a gift package: Bundle a few relevant products, call it the “Ultimate Gift Pack for Mom,” and discount it at least $5–10 off than if they were to buy the products separately.
• Appeal to procrastinators: Run a special the week before where consumers can receive $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. (Complimentary gift wrapping would work well here, too, since they’re already crunched for time.)
• Promote a BOGO deal: Run “A gift for mom, a gift for you” promotion where anyone who makes a $50+ purchase the week leading up to the holiday will also receive a $5-10 gift card to your store for themselves.
• Offer a gift-wrapping station: Put together a complimentary gift-wrapping station if you have a storefront, where either you gift-wrap for customers, or they can wrap their gifts themselves. This will save them time and money either way.
• Host a kids’ shopping event: Invite parents and their little ones to shop for mothers and mother figures at a discounted rate. Make it fun by providing sweets and juice while they shop.
• Offer exclusive promo codes: Take advantage of social media by posting flash sales on your Instagram Story or Facebook Reels, where customers can get X% off by using a promo code. Set a timeframe, so there’s urgency — 24–48 hours should help drive sales.
• Create a display: Showcase gifts for moms in your store and call it “Your One-Stop Mother’s Day Gift-Giving Shop.” Offer a discount for the featured products only. Have an e-commerce store? Create a landing page of Mother’s Day gifts so you can still take advantage of this tactic.
• Step up your packaging: Whether online or in-person, wrap gift cards and gifts in nice wrapping paper with ribbons or an elegant bag. Advertise that this creative packaging perk is included with all orders up until X date.
• Offer rotating discounts: Maybe it’s 10% off one week, free shipping the next, and 25% off the following — keep things fresh by offering continual deals throughout April and May leading up to Mother’s Day.
• Provide free shipping: Shoppers love free shipping, so build this into your pricing if possible and let shoppers know you offer this perk in your marketing materials.

Step 2: Promote Your Deal With Email Marketing

The key to a Mother’s Day marketing special is marketing emails. If you don’t already have an email list, you’ll want to skip this section and move on to step three since you won’t have time to get one going by Mother’s Day. If you do have a list, however, email marketing will be a valuable tool in the promotion of your specials.

You will want to use email to promote both your deal and what you have to offer for moms specifically. Include appealing images of your products and enticing content that explains the great, exclusive specials you’re offering.

If you have the capability, putting together a little gift guide would be a great way to showcase what you have to offer moms and mother figures. If not, include as many images as possible in your email and highlight the deal you’re offering.

Feel free to steal any of these email subject lines:

• Find the perfect Mother’s Day gift here
• Get a free Mother’s Day gift with any purchase
• 25% off all purchases for mom — today only
• Free gift wrapping + 35% off gifts for mom
• Shop for mom here (and we’ll give you a free gift too!)
• Hey, slacker: Get 40% off gifts for mom Saturday only!
• Gifts mom will LOVE. Now you’ll really be her favorite.
• The purrfect gift for pet moms
• Gifts for moms, grandmas, stepmoms, aunts, sisters, and more
• Celebrate the mother figure in your life with these sweet gifts
• Doggone amazing gifts for the pet mom in your life
• Treat yo’ self to these sizzling Mother’s Day deals

Step 3: Promote Your Deal Heavily on Social Media

Social media is a direct line to your customers and is going to be especially useful in getting the word out about your great Mother’s Day marketing deal with heart-warming, thoughtful, and humorous social media content, in addition to promotional social media posts.

Here are a few ideas below to get you started:

• Promote your products and deal on social media: Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok to promote your deals. Post a picture of your products with the information about your deal once per day.
• Use a custom hashtag: While the above tactic is blatant promotion, you can also try indirect promotion by doing something like creating your own hashtag for the holiday. Encourage your followers to share their funniest, weirdest, and/or wisest mom sayings. Give it a hashtag of #Momisms, #MotherKnowsBest, or #MommaAlwaysSaid.
• Create mom-themed content: For example, if you have a clothing store, ask followers to share pictures of the best (or funniest) looks their moms have worn — or even iconic looks from TV’s most well-known moms. You can also do the same on Pinterest by creating a special ‘Mother’s Day Board’ and encouraging people to pin the looks there.
• Hold a giveaway: Promote a Mother’s Day giveaway where you provide the winner with a free gift for mom or X amount for a gift card. When you announce the winner, be sure to tell any losers (don’t call them that) that if they use the discount code of MOM, they’ll receive 25% off.

Step 4: Promote Your Deal In-Store

With all the email and social media promotion you have to do, you might overlook the most obvious place you should be marketing your Mother’s Day deal — your storefront (if applicable)!

Here are a few ideas for you:

• Make signs: Do this for both the interior and exterior of your store to let people know about your promotion. These may have to be simple signs you create using Canva, PicMonkey, PowerPoint, or even Word — whatever program you have and can use decently well works. This will let shoppers (and window shoppers) know what you have to offer!
• Decorate your storefront window for the holiday: If you know a local artist (who’s in your budget), have them paint flowers on your window with the words “Your Ultimate Mother’s Day Gift Shop.”
• Create flyers for your deal: Using Canva or PicMonkey’s templates, create flyers for your Mother’s Day promotion and ask other local business owners in your area if you can put them in their store near the cash register.

Bonus: 35 Social Media Captions You Can Steal

Why spend your time coming up with captions for your Mother’s Day marketing campaign when we already did it for you? Feel free to use any or all of the social media captions below to help promote your products and get more sales:

1. “Celebrate the queen in your life this Mother’s Day with our special deals.”
2. “Surprise your mom with something she’ll love this Mother’s Day.”
3. “Find the perfect gift for mom at our online store this Mother’s Day.”
4. “Thank the amazing moms in your life with our Mother’s Day gift guide.”
5. “Shop our Mother’s Day collection and give your mom the gift of luxury.”
6. “Make this Mother’s Day unforgettable with our exclusive deals.”
7. “Get the perfect gift for your mom without leaving your home.”
8. “Give your mom the gift of self-care this Mother’s Day.”
9. “This Mother’s Day, show your mom how much you care with our gift sets.”
10. “Shop our Mother’s Day sale and save on gifts for all the amazing moms out there!”
11. “Spoil your mom with our unique and personalized gift options.”
12. “This Mother’s Day, give your mom the gift of relaxation with our spa sets.”
13. “Honor the special mother figure in your life with our Mother’s Day promotions.”
14. “Make this Mother’s Day one to remember with our exclusive discounts.”
15. “Celebrate the incredible women in your life with our Mother’s Day deals.”
16. “Make your mom feel special this Mother’s Day with our thoughtful gift options.”
17. “Find the perfect gift for your mom, grandma, or mother-in-law at our online store.”
18. “Shop our Mother’s Day collection and show your mom how much she means to you.”
19. “This Mother’s Day, give your mom the gift of style with our fashion picks.”
20. “Say thank you to the moms in your life with our unique and meaningful gift options.”
21. “This Mother’s Day, give the gift of memories with our photo gifts.”
22. “Treat your mom to something sweet this Mother’s Day with our gourmet gift options.”
23. “Make your mom’s day with our Mother’s Day gift ideas!”
24. “Shop our Mother’s Day sale and save on gifts that show your mom you care.”
25. “This Mother’s Day, surprise your mom with something she’ll never forget.”
26. “Celebrate the amazing moms in your life with our special Mother’s Day offers.”
27. “Give your mom the gift of comfort and relaxation this Mother’s Day.”
28. “Make this Mother’s Day one to remember with our exclusive gift options.”
29. “Shop our Mother’s Day gift guide and find the perfect gift for the mom in your life.”
30. “This Mother’s Day, give your mom the gift of beauty with our skincare and makeup picks.”
31. Don’t forget the fur mom in your life this Mother’s Day! Our pet-themed gifts are the perfect way to show her you care.”
32. “Spoil the pet-loving mom in your life this Mother’s Day with our unique and personalized gifts for pet parents!”
33. “Celebrate the bond between moms and their fur babies this Mother’s Day with our pet-themed gift options.”
34. “Thank the pet moms in your life for their unconditional love this Mother’s Day with our thoughtful pet-related gift ideas.”
35. “Shop our Mother’s Day pet gift guide and find the perfect gift to celebrate the special bond between moms and their furry kids.”

P.S. Check out this blog post on the top social media tools to use to help make managing and scheduling social content easier.

Get More Sales This Mother’s Day

Now that you have some ideas on the types of deals you should offer, and how to promote them, it’s time to get started. Keep in mind that almost any industry can take advantage of this holiday, so don’t be afraid to get niche with your marketing tactics.

For example, if you have a pet boutique, you could say something like, “Is your mom a pet lover? Get 25% off all items in our store this week only.” Or if you own a nursery, you could say something like, “If your mom loves to garden, you’ll find new deals sprouting here all week long!”

The more creative you get with your marketing tactics, the more likely your small business will stand out and see a boost in profit on money-making holidays like Mother’s Day. Good luck!

More Seasonal Marketing

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