Mother’s Day is a retail opportunity few B2C businesses want to miss. But Mother’s Day marketing isn’t easy. Brands must balance the demands of commerce with consumers’ feelings about the holiday and what it represents. What does it take to launch a modern Mother’s Day email marketing campaign with empathy and inclusiveness? Discover tips, trends, and inspiration for how to write the best Mother’s Day 2023 marketing emails in this article.
Moms. Without them, there would be no us.
No culture is immune to the influence of motherhood on prosperity and progress. Countries around the world celebrate Mother’s Day–although not all on the same date. The US version of Mother’s Day first gained official recognition in the early 1900s.
Set aside as a day to honor all mothers by national proclamation in 1914, the holiday soon drew the attention of retailers. Greeting cards, which are still a top Mother’s Day purchase, were among the first products to benefit.
In the following century, what began as an encouragement to remember those who do so much for us has become an occasion for gathering and gift-giving.
Today, Mother’s Day is big business.
While small compared to the Winter Holidays and back-to-school shopping seasons, Mother’s Day, like Easter and Valentine’s Day, is now a major US shopping event.
US consumers are expected to spend $31.7 billion on Mother’s Day in 2023, or approximately $246 per person. Other nations celebrate the occasion by buying gifts for mum, too.
How can you use email marketing to get your share of this holiday spending?
Keep reading to discover:
- What today’s Mother’s Day shoppers want from brands.
- How businesses use emails to celebrate Mother’s Day and promote Mother’s Day sales.
- An inspiring collection of some of the best Mother’s Day emails from seasons past, along with insights about why they work.
- Content you can use to help you create your own attention-grabbing Mother’s Day subject lines and email messages.
Looking for newsletter inspiration for a different time of the year? We got you covered with this incredible newsletter examples guide.
Email marketing tips and trends for Mother’s Day 2023
Changes in consumer behaviors, shopper demographics, and cultural shifts will influence Mother’s Day spending this year.
Deploy timely email marketing campaigns to be top of mind when your subscribers begin their search for the perfect gift and meet your audience in the inboxes with empathy and support.
Trends shaping 2023’s Mother’s Day email marketing strategies
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🛍️ Modern Mother’s Day celebrations are as diverse and unique as the people they celebrate.
The tradition of honoring those who contributed to our upbringing and well-being as children and adults now encompasses moms and mother figures in our lives.
And moms are celebrating themselves with treats, too.
A National Retail Federation survey found that 84% of US consumers celebrate Mother’s Day.
For email marketers, this means creating campaigns that are inclusive and diverse. The ages, personalities, and preferences of gift givers and recipients covers a broad range that encompasses almost everyone.
Improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns by segmenting your audiences for the occasion. Use demographic data not just to predict your subscribers’ interests but their status as a gift giver, receiver, or both.
Should you send different messages to new fathers versus single adults? Young adults versus seniors?
🛍️ While convenience and price may be top motivators when someone is buying for themselves, the data says the motivations for Mother’s Day gift buying are different.
When asked what mattered most when searching for Mother’s Day gifts, 46% of consumers said they wanted to give a gift that was unique and different, while 41% wanted a gift that would create a special memory.
Top Mother’s Day gifts include greeting cards, chocolate, jewelry, flowers, special outings (with the giver), clothing, experiences such as spa days, and gift cards. (Although among families with younger children, what many moms really want is an uninterrupted nap!)
But what your subscribers really want to find is a gift that impresses.
Help your subscribers find thoughtful, memorable gifts that are as unique as their intended recipient to win their Mother’s Day dollars.
🛍️ Online and offline sales contribute to the season’s spending total and consumers’ shopping journeys aren’t linear.
During the month of May 2022, “Gifts for Mom” was one of the top US search phrases.
How many of these searchers located a gift and completed their purchases online?
A 2022 survey by loyalty platform Ebbo found that 84% of respondents said they would do at least some of their shopping online.
Consumer data brand Numerator reported that 43% of consumers planned to shop online for Mother’s Day gifts in 2022. Households with children were 1.2x more likely to use online ordering and pickup than other shoppers. This segment was also 1.3x more likely to pick their gifts on Mother’s Day.
Staying front of mind throughout the shopping season and ensuring that subscribers are aware of all the purchasing channels your brand offers will increase your chances of gaining email conversions.
🛍️ Thirty-two percent of consumers surveyed by NRF in 2022 said they expect retailers to help them find special gifts for their moms and rely on brands to provide them with inspiration.
Email marketing is an ideal vehicle for offering advice and recommendations to shoppers. However, making mom-approved recommendations may require some tweaking of your usual segmentation and email personalization strategies.
You may have strong trust and rapport with a customer who purchases menswear from your brand, but earning their trust when choosing a gift for mom will mean offering recommendations not based on past purchases.
Find out what mom might like by sending your subscribers quizzes or other interactive devices. Or build gift guides based on your data about what women and mothers typically purchase from your brand. Instill confidence by sharing social proof or expert advice about your product recommendations.
Be careful not to rely on a single mom persona to guide your strategy, though. Present a variety of options to your subscribers to help them choose something that matches their mom.
🛍️ Increasingly, consumers are valuing experiences over possessions. When making recommendations, offering incentives, or providing advice, look for ways to incorporate experiences into your products or services.
Show your subscribers what your gift delivers and tell them a story that inspires them. Remember that their goal is to show their affection and create a lasting memory–demonstrate how your products will help them achieve that goal.
Keep these tips in mind as you select the messaging for your 2023 Mother’s Day email campaigns. What types of emails should you send and when?
I have a few ideas for you (with examples).
Mother’s Day email newsletter ideas and examples to inspire your campaigns
To maximize your Mother’s Day email marketing performance, create a series of messages that engage your subscribers from occasion-awareness to close-of-season sales.
Use the ideas and copy and design insights below to inspire your Mother’s Day email campaigns and earn your subscribers’ attention, appreciation, and purchases this Mother’s Day season.
🌸Open the season with Mother’s Day announcement emails informing subscribers that the gift-giving occasion is coming soon
Mother’s Day occurs on different dates around the world, with the earliest celebrations occurring in February and the latest in December. But in most nations, including the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated in May.
In 2023, your subscribers need to have their gift in hand by May 14 if they don’t want to be late for this very important date. Plan your first mass email blasts to give subscribers plenty of notice to ensure on-time delivery.
Take a look at these early-season emails to gain inspiration.
📧 Zak Designs features colorful products and flowers in a seasonal reminder that Mother’s Day is on the way.
📨 Mother’s Day is Coming! – Treasures for Mom 💎
This brand’s product-focused campaign encourages subscribers to choose one of their jewel-toned water bottles as a special gift for mom. The copy notes that the gift is one that mom will use all year round, making it useful and a great way to remind mom you care throughout the year.
📧 Western wear brand Ariat sent subscribers a mid-April reminder to shop for mom.
📨 Reminder: Mother’s Day Is Coming Up – Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.
“Make mom’s day” is the header message for Ariat’s season-opening promotional email. The brand follows up with images and links to its various product offerings.
🌸Send Mother’s Day gift guides to help your subscribers find the perfect gift
Finding the right gift for someone as special as mom can be daunting. Depending on the age and attributes of your subscribers, they may know just what they are looking for or have no clue what to buy.
This is your opportunity to shine by showing subscribers what you have to offer and why a particular gift might be perfect for their mom.
Build guides that sort gifts by price, interests, availability, or other characteristics similar to those you made for your winter holiday shopping newsletters.
Provide details about your various gift recommendations and include testimonials or videos of the products in use to help subscribers find the items that are just right.
📧 Beauty brand Kérastase offers subscribers an easy choice with a done-for-you gift guide.
📨 Today is the last day for Mother’s Day shipping in 3 days – PLUS enjoy a complimentary comb with orders $65 or more…
The subject line for Kérastase appeals to urgency. The brand then takes the pressure off by offering a solution: Use the gift guide to “take the guesswork out of finding a perfect, luxurious present” and beat the clock.
Clear design progression and an elegant color palette convey the brand’s personality.
This email also details the last time and date for express shipping, offers a free gift with purchase, includes a product image with a star-rating and a list of value-added services to encourage subscribers to act.
The shipping disclosure panel in Kérastase’s Mother’s Day email is customized for the year in which it is sent, specifying the exact day, date and time by which subscribers need to place their orders. Naming the day and date reduces the effort subscribers have to put into understanding your message.
📧 Nordstrom’s Mother’s Day email offers guidance from moms to help subscribers select gifts for their moms.
📨 Mother’s Day picks from four cool moms – Have no fear, her gifts are here.
Topped with an animated GIF that cycles through images of the featured moms with their children, this email promises “The best gifts for everyone you love–including on-point picks from four very cool moms.”
Email call-to-actions are an essential tool to transition your subscribers from viewers to actors. Nordstrom uses the prime center space of its email to position two CTAs, one inviting subscribers to “explore our gift guide” and the other to “Shop Mother’s Day gifts.”
Following these engaging invites, the email introduces each “cool mom” and summarizes her style along with another “shop her picks” CTA. These buttons encourage subscribers to take action as soon as they find an intriguing gift idea.
The crisp and inviting design and layout of this email and the mix of product images with smiling moms and kids conveys a sense that any mom would be happy to receive one of these picks.
🌸Provide selections at a range of prices so everyone can find the perfect gift, even on a budget
Everyone wants their gift to make mom feel special on Mother’s Day. But not everyone’s budget is the same. Giving subscribers gift-worthy choices at various prices will help with relationship marketing efforts to build brand loyalty and may earn new customers if their mom falls in love with your product and tells her friends.
📧 Crate and Barrel offers subscribers guides for shopping online and off with prices for every budget.
📨 Mother’s Day is May 8: Shop the Gift Guide – Gifts starting at $12.95 + free shipping. Shop now →
Crate and Barrel’s email offers solutions and expediency over sentiment. The email’s subject line alerts subscribers that an important gift-giving deadline is looming. Then offers them several reasons to open the email and shop with the brand.
Inside the email, as promised in the inbox display, subscribers find a variety of gift guides and items from which to choose. The top image includes a CTA inviting readers to shop in-store or online and its caption sets the deadline to order in time for delivery by Mother’s Day.
Communicating shipping and other restrictions clearly is especially important for gift-giving occasions. Consumers who may forgive a late delivery of regular supplies aren’t as tolerant when a brand’s failure to deliver causes them to disappoint someone else.
Throughout this digital product flyer are gift suggestions, pricing information, sales alerts, and other details such as descriptions of Crate and Barrel’s design and financing services.
Providing information that anticipates and overcomes obstacles can help move your subscribers forward to purchase.
The section above this email’s footer includes user-generated content shared with the brand via Instagram in an animated GIF block to display a diversity of products and styles. (Using animated GIFs adds motion to your emails and enables you to share more images in less space.)
📧 Brighton makes finding the right gift at the right price simple with a “gifts under…” email.
📨 Unforgettable Mother’s Day Gifts – The Perfect Gift at the Perfect Price
This email from Brighton includes nearly all the information subscribers need to choose a gift. Recommended items are sorted by price beginning with “Gifts $50 and under.” The brand also shares a link to its list of the top 50 recommended gifts so subscribers who don’t want to shop by price can skip straight to the list.
The hero image of a smiling mom and daughter points to the benefit of action, “buy these items and mom will be happy.”
Highlight your best gift ideas and innovative, flexible shopping features in your Mother’s Day campaigns.
In its email, Brighton encourages upsells with a section offering “luxe gifts” and encouraging shoppers to “be her hero… our handbag sets make a sensational double gift!” The brand also promotes its unique SmartGift option that allows mom to change her gift before it ships.
🌸Use testimonials, expert advice, and customer reviews to instill confidence
Expert opinions, customer reviews, and testimonials can offer your subscribers additional insights and alleviate their concerns about choosing something mom won’t adore.
Include confidence-building content not only in your promotional newsletters and blast emails but also in your abandoned cart and other triggered recovery emails. Create customized messages that reach out to hesitant shoppers to offer the reassurances they need to make a decision and click “Buy Now.”
📧 Licorice offers reassurance for the most challenging of Mother’s Day missions–the mother-in-law gift.
📨 Don’t Disappoint Your Mother-in-Law Again… – Get a Sweet Treat for your Other Mother! 💖
When your subscribers are shopping for someone who may be difficult to please, adding customer reviews and testimonials can reassure them that if their gift falls flat, it’s not their fault.
This email from Licorice includes both star ratings and testimonials from satisfied customers to persuade subscribers with social proof (a classic email copywriting strategy) and boost their courage.
“Mom loved them! This was a Mother’s Day gift for my mom, and she was, well, a delighted Finn!” reads the review accompanying an image of the brand’s Finnish Delight gift box. “Awesome licorice!” is the heading for another testimonial included in the email.
Here’s another copywriting tip: The best words to describe your products and appeal to your audience are often the ones they use themselves. Mine your reviews and other feedback to inspire your email copy.
This email’s layout and design makes excellent use of color, white space, and formatting to draw attention to each product and its rating. While the hero image shows the potential rewards of choosing the right gift. (Is that mom actually smiling at both their child and the child’s spouse? Achievement unlocked!)
📧 Coach shares authentic mom moments and community-led product recommendations for its Mother’s Day campaign.
📨 For Mother’s Day, Gift Mom back – See how the Coach Family is gifting (and getting) back this Mother’s Day.
Coach uses simple styling and candid shots of Coach community members sharing time (and Coach merchandise) with their moms or gifting themselves to reinforce a celebratory Mother’s Day message. Belongingness and appreciation are the leading themes of this email campaign with the heading “We got it from our Moms.”
Along with pictures of moms, gifts, and kids, the brand features product shots and testimonials. Subscribers can check out these influencers’ styles on their own for added social proof. Each testimonial is accompanied by a name and social media tag.
“For Mother’s Day I will be gifting my Mom the white Studio Shoulder Bag…,” writes one influencer. Shop Now CTAs are positioned throughout the email to capture subscribers’ clicks as soon as they reach the moment of intent. There’s also a 25% off code and free shipping to encourage subscribers to commit.
🌸Offer exclusives or one-of-a-kind gifts to enhance the value to givers and receivers
Finding a gift that is special or unique is a top priority for Mother’s Day gift-givers. You can boost your sales and serve your customers by creating exclusive gift bundles that they can’t get anywhere else.
Offer your subscribers add-ons such as gift wrapping and customized gift cards with their purchases and promote these extras prominently in your Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns.
📧 YETI celebrated Mother’s Day with an exclusive line of drink holders made for moms.
The brand announced the availability of these limited-edition gifts in a blast email featuring a GIF displaying the new selections. The primary CTA invites subscribers to “Choose her design.”
📨 Limited-Edition Mother’s Day Designs Have Arrived – Six new designs every mom will love.
Inside the email, the brand encourages subscribers to give mom a new drink holder and the gift of time spent together with a secondary, “Take Her Outside” heading and copy over authentic mom-in-action images. A follow-up CTA invites subscribers to customize the drinkware for an extra special touch.
I tip my mug for this campaign that combines authenticity, exclusivity, and experience in a single message. 🍻
📧 Terrain appeals to subscribers seeking Mother’s Day unique gifts with individually crafted items.
📨 One-of-a-kind foraged wreaths for mom. – Meet Ashley from Ashn Earth.
The focus of the subject line and the email’s body for this message from Terrain is its collection of specialty products made in cooperation with designer Ashley Powell.
The images and copy of the message illustrate the exclusive Mother’s Day collection she’s created for Terrain. The tagline, “one-of-a-kind gifts for one-of-a-kind moms” tops a CTA inviting subscribers to “shop the Ashn Earth Collection.”
Adding more value for sustainability-interested consumers, Terrain suggests that subscribers purchase a plant-dyed bandana to wrap their mom’s gift.
Framing the feature content are Terrains current offers and additional information such as the final days to order in time for Mother’s Day.
The color contrast between the featured message and other panels provides visual cues to keep readers progressing through the message from start to finish.
If your brand offers customization services such as engraving or personalization choices, be sure to highlight these in your Mother’s Day newsletters and promotions.
🌸Make your Mother’s Day offers into experiences
Offer experiences or create experiences using your products or services to entice shoppers who want to give mom a memory-making gift. Supplement your gifts with online or virtual experiential elements or offer you subscribers instructions for creating their own one-of-kind experiences for mom.
For example, a coffee brand could suggest that subscribers serve mom breakfast in bed with a specialty coffee flavor. A clothing brand could suggest purchasing mom an accessory that is perfect for wearing on a special day out.
📧 Hello Fresh offers an alternative to taking mom out for Mother’s Day.
📨 Wow mom with our Mother’s Day Brunch – A restaurant-worthy feast, right at home! Plus 16 FREE MEALS!
Hello Fresh taps into the trend toward experiences as gifts while still making the case for purchasing its subscription meal service by reminding subscribers that they can cook for mom at home.
The copy explains that these meal kits differ from Hello Fresh’s usual fare and were created just for Mother’s Day, “treat mom to the most memorable (and easy!) restaurant-worthy-feast, right at home—for a limited time only.”
Tasty add-ons enable subscribers to make their gift of experience (and food) extra special and the images make the offer a very tempting proposition.
📧 Short Par 4 packages its products as an experience to deliver for Mother’s Day.
📨 The Mother’s Day Experience – ENDS TODAY! – You have until midnight!! STAY CONNECTED
With a bright, colorful message packed with urgency and pizzazz, Short Par 4 presents a gift set as the experience in its Mother’s Day promotional email. Adding to the persuasive appeal, the message uses price anchoring to demonstrate value and employs an aspirational CTA, “I’m going to spoil her.”
🌸Prepare special Mother’s Day bundles and packages made for festive unboxing
Another way to add an experiential element to your offers is by packing your special Mother’s Day gifts with unboxing in mind. Use special packaging and other elements so that subscribers who can’t deliver their gifts in person can still deliver a memorable experience.
📧 The White Company’s Mother’s Day email offers build-your-own and prepackaged gifts to deliver special Mother’s Day experiences.
📨 Mother’s Day gifts for the woman you love – Celebrate the mother figures in your life
London’s The White Company sends a message of inclusiveness, honoring mothers and mother figures in its email campaign. Product images are intermingled with images of a multigenerational group of women and children celebrating the holiday.
The messaging theme is ”Women we love” and the copy invites email recipients to “Celebrate mothers, grandmothers, mother figures, sisters and friends,” on Mother’s Day with “our edits of thoughtful gifts.”
On offer are individual gifts, ready-to-gift sets in suitable packaging, and a “build your gift box” option that includes a premium gift box and free gift message.
Use both words and images to explain featured gifts and choices to ensure that your subscribers understand the offer and can visualize it.
📧 L’Occitane invites subscribers to build their own custom gift for mom and have it shipped for free.
📨 Create A 3-Piece Mother’s Day Gift – Shop Rose Trio With FREE Shower Gel*
Capitalizing on shoppers’ desire to give mom unique experiential gifts, the copy of this email incorporates both words.
The message’s header, “To mom, with love” is followed by text that explains how gift-givers can build their own package that includes mom’s “favorite fragrance, body lotion, and shower gel for a unique gift.”
A second panel features a prepared trio of products that are “ready to gift.” The email then wraps with encouragement to explore the “art of gifting” and turn mom’s “routine into a beautiful experience.”
Contrasting colors balance this email from top to bottom and its heading’s large fonts make it easy to scan. Building emails that are accessible, mobile-friendly, and easy for subscribers to process boosts their engagement with your messages, and that’s critical for great email deliverability.
🌸Enhance their purchase experience with connections to community and shared causes
Another way to add deeper emotion and experiential value to your Mother’s Day offers is by connecting them to the issues your subscribers (and their mothers or mother figures) value.
Make a donation to a cause important to your community with every purchase and include a special note with each gift explaining more about that cause.
Charitable organizations can make giving a part of the gift by encouraging their subscribers to make a donation in honor of their mom or other important person in their lives.
📧 Pique promotes value and values in its comprehensive Mother’s Day email appeal.
📨 Ultimate for Mother’s Day – +4 exclusive gifts
In an email that offers something for everyone, Pique emphasizes that its gift is unique. Then the brand adds a little fear factor by sharing the factoid that many moms don’t like their gifts. 😱
A solution is forthcoming, though. Purchasers who spend $100 or more with Pique can increase their chances of getting their gifting right with a mix of gifts plus a special card included with every purchase.
Be transparent in your email copy. If there is a minimum purchase amount or an offer is only good while supplies last, say so. Prevent dissatisfied customers by making the terms of any special offer clear.
After spelling out the Mother’s Day extras point by point, Pique adds images and text to describe its products and follows up with a series of testimonials from verified customers. There are free shipping and a donation to a worthy cause offers in this message, too.
Gentle colors and confidence-boosting copy encourage Pique’s subscribers to visit the store and get a gift for mom.
📧 John Hardy Jewelry helps subscribers give mom a luxurious gift and feel good about it.
📨The Mother’s Day Gift Edit – Handcrafted with love in reclaimed gold and silver.
This Mother’s Day promotion opens with an appeal to sustainability in the preview text and the hand-crafted nature of the gifts ensures they are unique, too.
The Mother’s Day email’s messaging continues this theme, introducing the brand’s “top 10 gifts for every mother,” with the words, “A hand-selected edit of artfully designed pieces grounded in sustainable materials, traditional craft techniques, and personal touches.”
The list includes a mix of static product images and animated GIFs that maintain the email’s minimalist style while adding splashes of visual interest.
Finally, the message closes with a promise to make tiered donations to Every Mother Counts from the proceeds of each purchase.
John Hardy’s tiered donation program encourages subscribers to make multiple purchases to magnify the value of the accompanying donation. This strategy boosts the brand’s average order values while making subscribers feel good about the extra indulgence.
📧 UNICEF Australia celebrates Mother’s Day and encourages giving by highlighting the moms they serve.
📨 These mums inspire us – Meet two vaccine heroes.
After telling the story of two moms and the challenges mothers face to get their children vaccinated, UNICEF invites subscribers to purchase a Mother’s Day vaccine Pack in honor of their mom.
The charitable organization’s message includes links to a video and article that tell more about the women and their stories and a selection of other child and mother-inspired donation packages.
“This Mother’s Day, give your mum a gift that makes an impact on children’s lives around the world,” is the copy for this appeal. Those who donate can register mom to receive a personalized card acknowledging the gift.
🌸Express authenticity, inclusiveness, and emotion in your Mother’s Day email campaigns
Mother’s Day is a sentimental occasion that touches people across ages and lifestyles. Bring your brand’s personality to your Happy Mother’s Day messages and be sincere in your communications with your subscribers.
📧 David Jones recognizes the multi-generational appeal and emotional pull of Mother’s Day.
📨 Mother’s Day | She’s My World – Show mum she’s your world and give the gift of gratitude this Mother’s Day
Retailer David Jones tops its Mother’s Day campaign email with an emotion-laden image and copy carrying a message of deep gratitude. The hero image of this email features fashion blogger Nicole Warne and her mother and child adding social influence and authenticity to the campaign.
Following this warm introduction, the email introduces images and links to a series of product collections to help subscribers find “gifts she’ll love.”
Another way David Jones adds value for subscribers is through a gift-finding service. Describing the service the brand writes, “Whether she’s forever best-dressed or beauty-obsessed, discover the perfect present in under a minute.”
Don’t forget to show off all your extra services in your email campaigns!
Now that’s a value proposition!
David Jones thoughtfully adds an opt-out message at the bottom of this email for those who might not want to receive any additional Mother’s Day messages.
This opt-out at the bottom of the message gives subscribers who opened the email solely to scroll down to the unsubscribe link another option. Include this opt-out panel in your holiday templates in addition to sending your subscribers a preseason Mother’s Day opt-out email.
📧 Acknowledging all moms is the theme of Ouai’s Mother’s Day campaign.
📨 FREE Slip x OUAI sleep mask with $65+ – Make her Mother’s Day OUAI special
Just because Mother’s Day is a sentimental holiday doesn’t mean your copy has to be sappy. Ouai keeps its tone on brand with a short, sweet promotion that calls on subscribers to “Spoil all the moms.”
The brand isn’t limiting its message to one kind of mom either, with text that says, “Dog mom. Baby mom. Plant mom. Any and every mom. Whichever queen you’re buying for this Mother’s Day, spoil her…”
I think the copy and CTA are fun. The hero image is an animated GIF. (That squiggly line at the bottom unrolls to point to the free silk mask in the picture.)
This email adds urgency with a warning that the free gift is only available “While supplies last, so add to cart quick.”
🌸Send your own sentimental message of appreciation to your subscribers who are moms
Consider ways to show your appreciation for moms through a segmented message to the moms on your list or a general message of support for motherhood and the people who serve as nurturers in our communities.
Pair this message with a charitable donation, support for a relevant organization, or a special offer that communicates your brand values as part of your brand’s relationship-building efforts.
📧 Biossance caps off a series of Mother’s Day promotions with a sentimental note.
📨 A day to honor the mother figures in our lives – Happy Mother’s Day from Biossance
Beauty brand Biossance sent several email campaigns across the 2022 Mother’s Day shopping season, including special offers and last-minute warnings. This final message of the series expresses the brand’s values and personality. Presented in the hero image, a note to the Biossance community says,
“This Mother’s Day, we’re honoring those who inspire us and encourage us to be our best selves. Whether they’re a mom, a mother figure, a mentor, or a role model, let’s celebrate the brightness and positivity they radiate into the world, and their ability to shine from the inside out.”
The email also promotes a special glow product collection in keeping with the email’s “shine” theme.
Adding to the tone of community and values, the central panel includes an animated GIF captioned, “what makes you shine?” that includes a series of images from community members on who answered the question via social media.
Using an animated GIF enables Biossance to display a diversity of community images using a single panel of the email template.
📧 Multi-brand retailer Italic says thanks to mom with a personal note from the founder and CEO.
📨 Thanks, Mom. – To give back, we are donating a portion of every order today.
CEO and founder of Italic, Jeremy Cai uses limited HTML in this message that thanks the brand community and his own mom. Skipping images and using limited HTML in an email adds a personal tone to marketing emails while still leveraging the benefits that HTML has over plain text email formats.
In this case, Italic uses HTML so that it can alter font sizes and colors, add a logo and Cai’s image and include a panel of navigation links and a standard email footer. The result is a message that appears less promotional and more sincere.
This email also includes a ‘donation with purchase’ offer for subscribers, which highlights the brand’s values.
🌸Throw in an extra incentive to splurge on mom with reward points, buy one get one offers or other goodies
Well, sure, the occasion is supposed to be about moms. But that doesn’t mean your subscribers can’t benefit, too, right? As inflation rises and budgets tighten, help your subscribers feel good about the value they receive from your brand by offering them a little extra incentive when they make their Mother’s Day purchases.
Use this as an opportunity to get a head start on Father’s Day sales if your business offers suitable products or services, or encourages subscribers to earn savings they can use later for themselves or others.
📧Specialty haircare brand Ouidad pulls at heartstrings while being gentle on purse strings with an email offering 30% featuring images of adorable, curly-topped moms and kids.
📨 30% off: Happy Mother’s Day – and don’t forget yourself.
Ouidad targets kids and moms with this promo message sent on Mother’s Day 2022. Inviting subscribers to get a deal on hair care products they need plus a free gift with purchase.
Value is the top-line focus of this promo.
The email’s hero image features the free product package punctuated with a “$32 value” free graphic and a “Shop Now” button CTA. Above the image is a caption that informs subscribers that they’ll also get a free sample with every order and free shipping on orders of $50 or more.
The supporting message then plays on the bond between mother and child with a “we got it from our mama,” header referring to customers’ curly locks and a pitch to “Treat her curls (and yours while you’re at it) to something special this Mother’s Day.”
An animated GIF rotates through three different product types while real customer images complete with social media tags add a community vibe to the email.
📧 Gigi Pip offers added value with a BOGO offer to subscribers.
📨 Mother’s Day Sale is LIVE | Buy one, get one 50% off! – (Mother)hood is a labor of love, in every sense of the word.
For sons sandwiched between mom and mother of child, partners purchasing for moms on both sides, and daughters who want one too, Gigi Pip makes an offer that’s hard to resist. Purchase one hat and get a second for 50% off.
Can you go wrong with a ‘Buy 1, Get 1’ offer?
Sometimes. If your free offer destroys your margin.
This buy 1, get 1 at a discount increases the chances that the brand will gain a larger share of Mother’s Day spending with a smaller revenue sacrifice.
Gigi Pip’s messaging is supportive and inclusive. The email says, “Motherhood is a labor of love, in every sense of the word. No matter how motherhood looks + feels to you we are celebrating motherhood in all its forms,” adding that “we are all in this together.”
The brand encourages cross-channel engagement by suggesting that subscribers tag their mom on its most recent Instagram post to “let her know how much she means to you.”
There are dual CTAs at the footer of this email: “Join us on Instagram” and ”Shop Bestsellers.”
🌸Use last-chance messages to nudge your subscribers to order in time for Mother’s Day delivery
Last-chance emails amp up the urgency and sometimes have to use a firm voice to get their message across. Don’t use these emails all the time but do deploy them when the time is right.
Examine your fulfillment system and identify the last dates that subscribers can order to get standard or express shipped packages delivered in time for Mother’s Day and create last-chance emails based on these dates.
You can also create non-delivery-based urgency by offering time-limited sales or special offers and reminding subscribers when the deal is about to end.
📧 Pandora expresses urgency by incorporating a countdown timer in its email offering free express shipping.
📨 Free Express Shipping for Mother’s Day Delivery! – Order now to get your gifts in time
This last-chance email from jeweler Pandora is topped with an interactive timer to remind shoppers how much time is left.
Based on the hero image, I’d say this email’s target audience is dads who need to purchase a gift for the mother of their children. The hero and below-the-fold images illustrate the rewards of not failing in this important task (an embrace from the smiling recipient).
Using both carrot and stick, the copy of this email offers reassurance that the brand can help shoppers find “gifts she’ll cherish” and get them delivered in time to “make mom’s day special.” But adds that subscribers “better be quick!”
Strengthening the pitch for value-minded shoppers, the brand offers both free express shipping and a free gift.
For those who really have put things off too long, the email includes secondary “Find a Store” and “Shop Gift Cards” CTAs.
Find a list of tools for optimizing your emails and adding interactive elements in our article, Email Marketing Tools To Drive Your 2022.
📧 Momofuku sets a deadline for subscribers planning to order the brand’s flavorful noodles for Mother’s Day.
📨 Last Chance for Our Noodle Lover’s Box – Order by 4/29 for Mother’s Day delivery
When time is short, don’t hide that information. Get out in front of shipping delays and supply chain issues with clear communications. In this Mother’s Day blast, Momofuku puts key dates in the preview text. This ensures that even subscribers who only scan their inboxes know that time to place their orders is running out.
🌸Give your dallying subscribers last-minute alternatives
You can’t save everyone from the perils of procrastination.
Forgetfulness, budget constraints, or lack of attention will always leave a few people caught empty-handed at the last minute. But you can still offer them a solution.
Subscription-based gifts often begin with a card telling the recipient when their first package is coming. Offer your customers a subscription gift with a digital card and they’re in the clear. Or just offer a digital e-gift card.
Retailers with online and offline outlets or sellers whose products can be found in other retailers’ physical stores should inform subscribers where they can go to make in-person purchases and what time the stores close.
📧 The Paper Store wraps up a selection of options for last-minute Mother’s Day shoppers into a single email newsletter.
📨 Need a last-minute gift for Mom? – We’re here for you
The Paper Store lays out all the options for subscribers who are short on time. If they aren’t near a store, they can order a digital gift card. For those who prefer to shop in person, this email shows them the variety of products their local Paper Store offers.
This email makes an appealing pitch for families with younger children who need a one-stop-shop to get everything they need (and need it fast). A reminder that the store carries greeting cards capitalizes on this fact.
The panel above the email template’s standard footer which explains the ways subscribers can shop with the brand, including buying online and in-store pick up, stands out due to its dark, contrasting color.
🌸Offer moms an opportunity to treat themselves with Happy Mother’s Day and post-Mother’s Day sales emails
Moms are used to being the nurturers, givers, the ones who get things done. Encourage them to take matters into their own hands and get the gifts they really want with email messages that encourage them to indulge themselves. Show your appreciation by offering discounts or special packages to sweeten the message.
📧 Crossrope knows that not every mom wants flowers and cards for Mother’s Day.
📨 Your Exclusive Early Access to Our Mother’s Day Sale – You deserve the best this Mother’s Day 💐
Think your product or service isn’t something people will buy for Mother’s Day?
Think again.
You can approach the holiday like Crossrope has by taking your offer straight to mom or creating a message reminding subscribers to think outside the flower box when shopping for their mom.
Compete against retailers offering traditional gifts with early-season messages aimed at mom. Send promotions that encourage her to complete a wish list, forward your email to the people who will be shopping for her, or drop a few hints about what she really wants.
This promotion from Crossrope encourages mom to treat herself and get 20% off.
The images in this email are of fierce, fit moms and the brand’s products. “It only comes once a year, but we think all the mamas out there should feel like fitness queens every day… you deserve it,” says the text celebrating “everyone who moms.”
📧 Vera Bradley celebrates with moms in a cheerful message sent on Mother’s Day.
📨 Treat yourself this Mother’s Day! – These top picks are curated for Y-O-U…
“Here’s to you…Show yourself some love with styles you’ll reach for again and again,” the designer accessory brand tells moms in this promotional email featuring a hero image of a very happy mom holding her brand new bag.
The email entices subscribers to act fast with a 25% off offer for online and in-store purchase on select items and only available through Mother’s Day.
This Vera Bradley bulk campaign employs dynamic content to add a geo-specific map at the bottom of the email with a caption that invites subscribers to “Stop by and say hi!”
Simple steps like adding a dynamic field or block to your standard templates can create customized experiences that drive conversions.
📧 Bombas offers procrastinating shoppers relief with overnight shipping and digital gift cards.
📨 Absolute Last Chance For Mother’s Day Gifts – Don’t snooze. | Bombas is on a mission to provide you with…
Coming to the rescue with a last-chance message, Bombas offers subscribers the opportunity to order with express shipping and still get their present in time.
They can even select a sustainable-friendly gift bag to package their present or choose a gift box instead for gifts that are “All wrapped up and ready to give mom.”
For subscribers who just can’t decide or don’t meet the brand’s “order by midnight cut off” the email also offers the option to send a digital gift card.
Plus, Bombas is another brand that supports charitable causes by making a donation with every purchase. The brand’s “one purchase, one donated program” means that for every pair of socks someone buys, another pair is donated.
The above-the-footer message of this email is all about instilling trust and confidence. In addition to the donation promise, the panel promotes the brand’s free returns and 100% money-back guarantee policy.
There’s one more thing you need to help you craft your best Mother’s Day emails yet: Great subject lines that attract your subscribers’ attention in the inbox.
Take a look at the following phrases to find just the right words for your Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns.
80 Mother’s Day email subject lines and copy to capture opens and clicks
General mom-themed subject lines and copy for Mother’s Day emails
- Mother’s Day is coming!
- Happy Mother’s Day!
- To all the moms and mother figures in our lives…
- This Mother’s Day is special for everyone
- Mother’s Day is this Sunday! Find her the perfect gift!
- Wishing every mom and mother figure a happy day (Credit: Lucky Brand)
- The mother of all days (Credit: Terrain)
- Show mom she means the world
- A celebration of everyone who moms (Credit: Anthropologie)
- Mother knows best
- A day to honor the mother figures in our lives
- We got it from our mama (Credit: Ouidad)
- For all kinds of moms
- From one mother to another… – Whatever this day means to you (Credit: Motherly)
- Celebrating moms
- Treasures for mom
- Spoil mom
- For mom, with love
- Show her you care
- Unforgettable gifts for Mother’s Day
- Express your love and appreciation
- Shower mom with love this Mother’s Day
- Wrap mom in love this Mother’s Day
- Tell/Show mom how special she is
- Shop like a mother (Credit: reVive)
- Mom-entous occasion (Credit: Haband)
- Flowers and a phone call again? (Credit: Baxxe)
- For moms who rock their locks (Credit: Punky Color)
- Happy Mother’s Day to all our fashionista moms (Credit: Windsor Fashions)
Treat yourself Mother’s Day subject lines
- You deserve it! – Choose your favorites this Mother’s Day
- Indulge yourself this Mother’s Day – You deserve it
- Treat yourself this Mother’s Day
- Get the gift you really wanted
Words and phrases to promote Mother’s Day gift guides and recommendations
- Mother’s Day gifts are here
- The Mother’s Day gift guide has arrive
- Look inside for Mother’s Day gift ideas (Credit: Dooney and Bourke)
- Best-selling gifts for Mother’s Day
- Exclusive Mother’s Day gifts
- Hand-picked for mom
- One-of-a-kind Mother’s Day gifts
- Made for moms who [interest]
- Perfect for mom
- Share an experience with mom this Mother’s Day
- A gift you both can share on Mother’s Day
- Go green for Mother’s Day
- This year, give mom the gift of self-care
- Treat mom to self-care
- Give her the gift of glow (Credit: Biossance)
- Hand-picked gifts she’ll love
- Moms adore these [product with reviews]
- Moms everywhere agree – [product] is a winner
- Mother’s Day yummies!
- Give mom what she really wants
Mother’s Day sales and events subject lines and preview text
- Mother’s Day Sale! Gift ideas inside
- Mother’s Day event
- % off our best Mother’s Day gifts
- It’s the mother of all sales
- Buy one, get one this Mother’s Day
- One for mom and one for thee? Buy one, get one free
- Earn double rewards points when you buy mom the perfect Mother’s Day gift from [brand]
- Mama says, “Do not miss this sale!”
- With Mother’s Day approaching, take advantage of [offer]
Last chance and ‘time is running out’ Mother’s Day lines
- Friend, don’t forget Mother’s Day is 2024
- Reminder! Mother’s Day is 2024
- Mother’s Day is just [#] days away!
- Ends tonight 20% Mother’s Day gifts
- Last chance: [x]% off gifts for mom
- Few hours left..
- Gift in time for Mother’s Day (Biossance)
- Get it by Mother’s Day
- Still time to send Mother’s Day [item]
- Really last chance…
- Warning: Mother’s day sale ends soon
- Last chance to get [discount] for Mother’s Day
- The clock is ticking on this Mother’s Day sale
- Time is running out for delivery by Mother’s Day
- Don’t keep mama waiting
- Did you forget?
- Did you forget to order flowers?
- In case you forgot, this Sunday is Mother’s Day
Combine these subject lines with the tips in our ultimate subject line guide to create inbox appeals that earn opens. Then use the ideas and examples from the amazing brands I found (thanks to Milled.com) to inspire your own Mother’s Day 2023 emails that offer your subscribers value, instill confidence, and show them you care.
But before you act on any of these ideas, make sure you’ve given your subscribers a chance to opt out.
Mother’s Day isn’t everyone’s favorite occasion, and some of your subscribers would rather not think (or read) about the event.
Express empathy by offering subscribers a Mother’s Day opt-out
Like other sentimental holidays, Mother’s Day can be an emotional drain on some of your subscribers. If you haven’t already asked your subscribers their preferences, send a Mother’s Day opt-out email before you begin your first Mother’s Day promotional campaign of the season.
Offering an opt-out supports your subscribers who aren’t prepared for Mother’s Day reminders and your other subscribers support the practice. A survey by Capterra found that 91% of consumers “feel very or somewhat positive” toward holiday email opt-out messages, and 81% were “extremely or somewhat likely to purchase” from brands that offered them.
Send a pre-campaign opt-out email to ensure your subscribers have a chance to voice their wishes. Also, customize the email templates for occasions like Mother’s Day to include a snooze option along with your unsubscribe link in case they missed your opt-out message.
Adding this choice may prevent a subscriber who doesn’t want to receive holiday email marketing messages from completely unsubscribing from your list.
Be proactive in sparing your subscribers’ feelings
Despite their intent to prevent harm, opt-out emails still remind the recipient of the coming holiday, though. As a result, some businesses take steps to avoid triggering seasonal distress by asking subscribers about their preferences before the season.
For example, recycling supply company Even Greener empowers subscribers to choose how often they want to hear from the brand, indicate their interests, choose the types of emails they wish to receive, and opt out of select holiday campaigns all through the brand’s email preference center.
Customer opt-out data can be used to pause email campaigns and personalize experiences on your website by omitting mentions of the blocked occasion, explains Bloom & Wild, a company at the forefront of the Thoughtful Marketing Movement.
Tell new subscribers about the preference center and opt-out choice on your subscription sign-up Thank You page and in your welcome email.
Like your other preference options, the more choices you give your subscribers the better you will be able to serve them the content they want and value. This is good for your email engagement rates and your subscribers’ experiences with your brand.
Examples of Mother’s Day opt-out emails
📧 Clothing and accessory retailer Vince keeps its Mother’s Day opt-out message simple and direct.
The copy in Vince’s email expresses understanding and asks subscribers to opt-out by a specific date and time to ensure they don’t see any unwanted holiday emails in their inbox. The opt-out button is easy to locate and has a clear CTA so subscribers don’t have to read the entire message to find out what to do.
📧 Beautycounter promises to keep opted-out subscribers informed.
“If you’d rather not receive Mother’s Day emails, just let us know. We’ll still keep you in the loop with everything else,” Beautycounter explains to subscribers in this email with a “Skip for now,” CTA.
📧 Living Proof offers a choice of opt-outs.
Using a simple brand header and text format, Living Proof writes,
“Given our commitment to inclusivity and empathy, we’re offering you the choice to opt-out of all communications related to particularly sensitive holidays. If you would prefer not to receive certain holiday-related emails, like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, simply click one (or both)) of the links below. You’ll continue to receive our newsletter, but we’ll make sure that all content will reflect this preference.”
Mother’s Day email opt-out subject lines and preview text
- Mother’s day is different for everyone – We’re here for you
- Mother’s day is different for everyone – We get it, and we’ve got you (Credit: Beautycounter)
- Mother’s day is different for everyone – The choice is yours if you prefer to opt-out of receiving…
- Want to opt-out of Mother’s Day emails? – Choose what you get in your inbox (Credit: Dropps)
- Want to opt-out of Mother’s Day emails? – No problem–you don’t have to receive any reminders from us (Credit: The Body Shop)
- Want to opt-out of Mother’s Day emails? – Mother’s Day can be a tough time for some. You can opt out… (Credit: Animoto)
- Want to opt-out of Mother’s Day emails? – We got you. ❤️️ (Credit: Living Proof)
- Not interested in hearing about Mother’s Day? – We’ve got you covered.
- Because not everyone wants to hear about Mother’s Day… – Let us know if you’d rather not hear from us. (Credit: FatFace)
You can find more examples of opt-out inbox copy and emails in our Valentine’s Day 2023 email marketing campaigns article.
After you receive your subscribers’ opt-out responses, create a suppression list for contacts who don’t want to receive Mother’s Day-related emails and add these exclusions when setting up each of your Mother’s Day email newsletters, blasts, and triggered campaigns.
Add a reminder to your pre-send checklists to ensure you don’t overlook this important task!
Bonus Tip: Keep subscribers in the flow and moving forward with targeted, personalized campaigns during Mother’s Day
Your Mother’s Day campaigns don’t have to be limited to regular email blasts or newsletters.
Create occasion-specific templates for your drip campaigns to make them hyper-relevant and timely. Develop seasonal alternatives for your cart, checkout, and browse abandonment sequences to recover gift shoppers who may be undecided and looking elsewhere for the perfect gift.
Combine your recovery email campaigns with SMS messaging and retargeting ad campaigns to make sure you’ve covered all the bases. There’s not a lot of time to convert Mother’s Day shoppers into Mother’s Day buyers!
Review our article on email automation, How Email Automation Drives Growth, to find triggered email ideas for every stage in the buyer’s journey.
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