Mother’s Day is one of the biggest gifting occasions of the year. NRF’s annual survey predicts that $28.1bn will be spent on Mother’s Day gifts this year – up $1.4bn from 2020.
Approximately 83 per cent of US adults are expected to celebrate the holiday and this year consumers plan to spend an average of $220.48 on Mother’s Day gifts.
With lockdown restrictions easing, nearly 49 per cent say they are planning a special Mother’s Day outing such as brunch or other activity. But gifts are still important according to the NRF survey, jewelry and electronics are the primary categories that are driving the uplift in expenditure in 2021. Buying the right gift is equally important – this is where with a little help from social proof messaging, retailers can make sure everyone makes the right choice.
Social proof messages about what’s popular, what’s trending and what’s available can help shoppers make their choice with confidence. How great would it be to learn from other shoppers with real-time social proof if the photo of the gift was a true reflection of what was received eg. aggregating customer reviews who bought the ‘heart shaped pendant’’ last time – ‘98% of people rated this 5* for quality’.
Social proof is based on the principle that we are influenced by what other people do; we find it reassuring to know that others are looking at the same products as us or have bought the same item. It works across every product category and helps consumers make informed decisions whether they are spending a lot (Mother’s Day Gift Basket from Harry & David, $100) or not such a lot (personalised Toblerone, $15).
Messages based on aggregating consumer reviews from third party platforms such as Bazaarvoice provide an additional layer of useful information (‘87% gave this product 5 stars for quality’) for the shopper. And social proof works seamlessly across all the retailer’s digital touchpoints – websites, apps, emails, messages and social media.
As economic uncertainty and store closures persist into 2021, retailers will want to do everything in their power to help customers make the right choices online. Social proof is a responsible way to do that. Drawing directly on the retailer’s own data, Taggstar delivers factual messages that are accurate to within 5% of that source data.
It’s not just about shopping for gifts. Social proof messaging enhances the overall shopping experience, enhancing every step of the customer’s journey and helping them buy with confidence.
