Mother's Day messaging faces a dual challenge: protect existing customers while winning over newcomers open to unfamiliar brands, requiring real-time signals and targeted outreach.

For Mother's Day, shoppers start with strong intent but remain exploratory, with most deciding where to shop before researching across options.

About eight in ten shoppers pre-determine where they will shop, while a majority are open to trying new brands and unfamiliar online merchants within a guided, planned exploration.

Messages that emphasize relevance and personalization stand out more to shoppers than discounts, reinforcing the importance of tailored communication.

Marketers should leverage AI-discovered preferences at the top of the funnel, align campaigns with the pre-Mother’s Day window, prioritize relevance over discounts, and address attribution in omnichannel journeys.

Positionless Marketing is positioned as essential for both retaining loyal customers and attracting new ones by detecting churn risk and new-customer signals in real time without handoffs.

Digital payments dominate, with the vast majority preferring cards or digital wallets, and only a small sliver using cash.

Shoppers are embracing AI-assisted discovery for gifts, with nearly half using AI tools and a majority willing to try new online merchants, signaling openness to new brands.

Optimove’s CEO emphasizes timely, relevant messaging at the right moment as critical for converting new shoppers and re-engaging loyal customers.

Optimove has earned Gartner Magic Quadrant recognition as a Visionary for two consecutive years, highlighting its AI-driven decisioning and cross-channel orchestration capabilities.

Quality governs gift choice, with half citing quality and a significant share mentioning relevance and personalization as key drivers that attract attention more than discounts.

Omnichannel is the norm for Mother’s Day shopping, with many buyers planning to shop both in-store and online and routinely checking prices across channels.