Amy Toner/NATSO
Did you know that "Mother's Day gift spending rose from an average of $140.73 per person last year to $152.52 this year, according to the National Retail Federation"? Additionally, "Total spending was expected to come in at $18.6 billion, with 13% of shoppers saying they plan to purchase a digital camera, tablet or some other CE (Consumer Electronic) device for their mothers."
I recently visited a truckstop that was well prepared for Father's Day. What I saw surprised and delighted me — the location had a display of two BIG brand name tablets and four BIG brand name e-readers that they had purchased. These were included in a wonderful display that was properly positioned on end caps creating good focal points.
According to the owner, they first tried this idea out on Mother's Day with two tablets and two e-readers. They decided on the name brands for these particular CE, because they wanted to tell a story and make an impact. The CE were:
- retailed to sell (important as in our industry it is tough to get brand name CE with the proper retails to be competitive and have margin to spare); and
- displayed with the proper messaging and marketing support (i.e. “Great Gifts for the Traveling Mom”).
With this combination, they had no problems selling their inventory. They purchased light and smart and according to the owner would sell three tablets and four e-readers prior to Mother's Day.
The owner also shared with me that they normally do not sell much electronics and plan to only sell these types electronics during holidays and special events in the future. In addition, he shared that what he sold as part of his Mother's Day sale almost matched his total electronic sales in 2011. "We are not an electronics store, but we can become a location known for great in and out holiday [electronic] specials."
According to the National Retail Federation, "The average person will shell out $117.14 on dad's gifts this year, up 10 percent from $106.49 last year and closing the gap between its biggest competitor: Mother's Day (consumers planned to spend an average of $152 on the holiday). Total spending for Father's Day is expected to reach $12.7 billion, according to NRF's 2012 Father's Day spending survey conducted by BIGinsight.”
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Join the conversation! A larger portion of shoppers plan on purchasing CE on dads then they did on mom. Are you prepared? Do you have any great gift promotions properly messaged and marketed for Dad's on the go? |
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