Buying for mum: global Mother’s Day on this date spending statistics
As 13th May approaches, we look at how many countries mark Mother’s Day and look at recent Amara data on what we’re buying for our mothers.
Although the day to celebrate and give thanks to mums has passed in the UK, and most Arab countries, on 11 and 21 March respectively, there is less than a week left for most of the world to find the perfect gift for mums this Sunday, May 13.
We all know and have experience of searching both on and offline in the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day as we look for a suitable gift. Each year this creates an opportunity for global businesses to make the most of the shared desire to recognise mums. With spending in the UK alone predicted to increase by £5bn in 2018 it’s a pivotal e-commerce opportunity.
Each year new international marketing strategies are developed to showcase products in light of the celebration, but what do businesses need to consider to capitalise on these opportunities?
There are similarities across the globe in how we choose to honour our parent with gifts of things such as chocolates, flowers and personal accessories, but also many subtle and not so subtle differences.
To help navigate the potential minefield and develop a marketing strategy suitable for expectations in each location, data collected from home accessory retailer Amara in the month leading up to Mother’s Day in 2017 shows the types of gifts purchased for the big day.
Across the world, nearly 50% of Amara home accessory gift purchases were of cushions and vases. In Australia and Germany vases are a clear first choice making up 40% and 50% of searches respectively. However, in the UAE vases account for only 11% making them the fifth choice of grateful offspring.
In a marked difference to the rest of the world, the UAE’s most popular gifts are reed diffusers, making up over 30% of purchases. A difference which may be due to the culture of incense burning combined with concerns in recent years about indoor pollution caused by the smoke and its health risks. On the other hand, if operating in Australia, you may wish to steer clear of reed diffusers as they account for only 1% of Mother’s Day sales.
With a clear view of the product variations, you are one step closer but don’t forget buying habits. Knowing whether your customers are likely to search products online to gain ideas before going into a store, or whether they are happy to click and buy online, will help you to tailor your experience.
In Saudi Arabia, 71% of consumers make purchases via their smartphone once a week so make sure you have a user experience optimised for mobile. In Egypt, e-commerce is proliferating with a massive increase of 7 million new internet users in one year reported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Be careful though, although there is an increase of people online, only about 10 million have access to a credit or debit card, so you will want to make sure that there are alternative payment options available.
So, whether mothers are getting a reed diffuser bought via a smartphone or a cushion researched online and bought in store, happy Mother’s Day to them all!