As Mother’s Day approaches, the aisles of grocery stores nationwide transform into battlegrounds for consumer attention. Best-In-Class retailers, both large and small, understand the best strategy for optimizing Mother’s Day sales and many other occasions goes beyond focusing on volume. They are winning hearts and capturing sales by offering a personalized, heartfelt shopping experience tailored to celebrate mom in a unique way.
Curating a Special Mother’s Day Selection
Best-in-class grocers recognize that Mother’s Day isn’t just about a big brunch or dinner. To optimize Mother’s Day sales, it’s all about creating an experience. They leverage their agility and local sourcing to offer a curated selection of products and focus on:
- Gourmet Indulgence: Forget the ordinary. Stock shelves with gourmet cheeses, artisan chocolates and specialty coffees – the perfect ingredients for a breakfast basket fit for a queen.
- Local Flair: Highlight the community spirit with locally sourced jams, honey and artisan breads. These products not only support local businesses but also add a special, personal touch to a Mom’s Day spread.
- Ready-to-Gift Baskets: Pre-assembled gift baskets filled with gourmet treats, spa-worthy items or locally made bath products offer a thoughtful and ready-made solution.
- Blooming with Gratitude: Partner with a local florist to bring vibrant bouquets straight into your store. This one-stop shopping experience allows customers to combine fresh flowers with their grocery purchases, creating a complete and beautiful gift.
Promotions with a Personal Touch
While promotions are essential, best-in-class grocers go beyond simply slashing prices.
Here’s how they stand out:
- Early Bird Specials: Cater to savvy shoppers with Early Bird specials on popular Mother’s Day dinner ingredients like premium cuts of meat, fresh seafood, or pre-made sides in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
- Loyalty Programs: Reward loyal customers for their continued support with special Mother’s Day discounts or free gifts with purchase. This fosters brand loyalty and encourages repeat business.
- Social Savvy: Leverage the power of social media. Showcase photos of recipe ideas, highlight gift basket creations, and run contests where customers can win a Mother’s Day feast or a spa gift set.
- In-Store Storytelling: Utilize eye-catching signage with warm and inviting visuals throughout the store. Highlight local products, promote complete meal solutions, and create a narrative of celebrating Mom through delicious food and thoughtful gifts.
Service with a Smile
Best-in-Class grocers pride themselves on personalized service. For Mother’s Day (and other occasions), here’s how they shine:
- Personalized Recommendations: Train your staff to go beyond simply pointing to the shelf. Encourage consultations where staff offer personalized recommendations based on customer needs. For example, suggest a specifically paired cheese and wine combination or recommend a cut of meat perfect for Mom’s favorite grilling recipe.
- The Gift of Presentation: Elevate the gesture by offering complimentary gift-wrapping services. This adds a touch of care and makes the purchased items feel even more special.
- Convenience for Busy Moms: Consider offering delivery or curbside pickup options for customers who are short on time. This caters to the reality of busy lives and shows customers you appreciate their time.
Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere
More than just a shopping trip, best-in-class grocers create a memorable experience by:
- Filling the store with upbeat and heartwarming music that evokes a sense of celebration and appreciation for moms.
- Offering generous samples of Mother’s Day brunch items or decadent desserts. This entices customers to try new things and potentially discover their next favorite recipe.
- Setting up a small activity area or craft station (if space allows) to keep children occupied while parents shop. This makes the shopping experience more stress-free and enjoyable for everyone.
Community at the Heart
Best-of-class grocers are woven into the fabric of their communities. Here’s some of the ways they extend their reach:
- Local Restaurant Collaborations: Partnering with local restaurants to offer complete Mother’s Day meal packages (appetizer, main course, dessert). This cross-promotion benefits both businesses and offers customers a convenient and delicious option.
- Charitable Giving: Incorporating a charitable element such as hosting a drive where a portion of Mother’s Day sales goes towards a cause that empowers women or mothers. This allows customers to celebrate Mom while supporting a worthy cause.
Best-in-Class: Optimizing Mother’s Day Sales
The Kroger Co.
As Best-in-Class grocer, Kroger optimizes its Mother’s Day sales through its one-of-a-kind curated gift guide.
The guide contains convenient gift ideas from pampering to brunch intended to make moms feel loved on this special occasion. The retailer used its website as well as its blog, The Fresh Lane, to promote Mother’s Day and offer inspiration for additional gifting ideas.
- Gift a Boost by Kroger Plus Membership: This annual membership includes free delivery, 2X Fuel Points and exclusive offers. Each membership can save members up to $1,000 per year on fuel and grocery delivery.
- Mom-Worthy Brunch: Kroger promoted special brunch spread options including Le Terra Fina Quiche, Private Selection Croissant Loaf, Private Selection Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, a French Toast Board, Fresh Watermelon and La Marca Prosecco.
- Blooms, Balloons & Candy: Show mom some love with fresh Bloom Haus bouquets, balloons and sweet treats. Gifts could also be sent with on-demand delivery from more than 1,700 locations nationwide through DoorDash and Uber Eats. Customers could create orders through the providers’ marketplace platforms.
- Pamper Mom: Kroger featured several spa products from its HBC department including bath salts, sugar scrubs, facial cleaners, daily moisturizers and assorted other skincare options.
- Gift Cards: For the mom who has everything, Kroger promoted gift cards for Mother’s Day as well as greeting cards and its new home collection, Sewing Down South by HD Designs, a home collection inspired by coastal living from Bravo personality Craig Conover.
“At Kroger, we are so grateful to help our customers honor all the moms who bring us love and joy every day and support and inspiration when we need it the most,” said Mike Murphy, Kroger’s group VP of e-commerce, analytics and execution for merchandising.
“We know celebrating someone as wonderful as mom is easy but to make Mother’s Day less about planning and more about spending time together, we are here with thoughtful ways to make the occasion extra special.”
The Fresh Market
Officials at The Fresh Market had a simple goal in mind to optimize sales for Mother’s Day – making it easy for shoppers to find that perfect gift, whether that is a prepared meal, flower bouquet, bottle of wine or gift basket.
Recognizing that sometimes the best gift is getting a break from meal planning, The Fresh Market created several meal options customers could pre-order online.
Customers could create their own gourmet spread by choosing from premium choice Chateaubriand cut filet mignon, lump crab cakes and Chilean sea bass cakes. The meal was also accompanied by mascarpone whipped potatoes with rosemary, asparagus with red peppers and sea salt butter, eight chocolate dipped strawberries, and a The Fresh Market reusable tote. Additionally, included with this meal deal was a beautiful “Love U, Mom” seasonal bouquet.
For breakfast-in-bed fans, the store also offered heat-and-eat Mother’s Day brunch options as well as curated gift baskets brimming with luxurious treats. Customers could also customize a basket.
The Fresh Market also promoted its signature premium roses and wide selection of orchids as well as gift cards for the occasion. To make it as convenient as possible, all items were available in-store or could be ordered online for curbside pickup or delivery.
To promote its Mother’s Day options, the retailer featured a livestream event hosted by Chef Anna Rossi on April 25. They also featured these and other gifting ideas in its own Fresh Market Magazine and on its website.
Read more independent store news from The Shelby Report.
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