Mother's Day Is Excellent Opportunity for Merchants, Retailers

Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday, and presents a great opportunity for mom and pop shops. With recent reports indicating that consumers will still be spending cash this season ($138.63 on average), small retailers can capture these dollars with fun and unique offerings.

TCBY is offering free frozen yogurt for mom; while other retailers are offering special discounts, flowers for the first 100 mom's and chair massages.

What can your store offer to appeal to moms? Below are some easy-to-implement ideas:

-Go to local flower vendor and purchase 50 carnations. Offer carnations to the first 50 moms that come in to your store Mother's Day weekend.

-Contact a local massage therapist who can set up a chair and provide 5 minute chair massages for mom's during a specific time period (example: 11am-1pm). It's a great marketing opportunity for the massage therapist and excellent for business!

-10-20 percent off specific items in the store that are mom-relevant.

-Chocolates for the first 25 to 50 moms that come into your store. Truffles are a great option for this.

Once you have your special Mother's Day offer in place, it's time to promote it. Here are some ways to let the public know about your store specials:

-Post it on your blog.
-Send out a press release to local media.
-Email your customer list.
-Post a bulletin on your MySpace or Facebook account.
-In-store signage.

What are some of the special ways your store will be honoring moms? Leave your comments here.

-Heather Strang

[Photo by Gareth Simpson, U.K.]