According to the National Retail Federation, Mother's Day ranks third in terms of overall holiday spending, ahead of Valentine's Day, Easter, and Father's Day with a total spend of 15.79 billion dollars in 2008!

Shoppers start searching on Mother’s Day-related gift terms in late March and April, with traffic peaking in late April and early May. Launch your Mother’s Day campaigns as soon as possible to establish strong performance history and get visibility with shoppers from the early consideration stages.

This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 10 in both Canada and the US.

POPULAR GIFT SEARCH CATEGORIES

Among both genders, the most popular gifts included cards, flowers, dining out, gift cards and apparel. Females were much more likely to purchase clothing or spa services for Mother’s Day gifts. Males were more likely to treat their mother to dining out and jewelry gifts.

Consider implementing incremental gender targeting for those product types that you know convert well for one gender over another.

MOTHER'S DAY OPTIMIZATION STRATEGIES

Maintain & Grow Market Share

· Impressions remain high in most sub-verticals & cost-per-clicks (CPCs) remain competitive. Now is not the time to pull back!

· Monitor share of voice for top strategic keywords and product categories

· Monitor bids for best strategic position

Attract Clicks with Compelling Offers

· More than ever, searchers are looking for value. Mention low prices and sales in ad copy

· Any other offers or services that add value? Free gift wrapping? Free shipping? Test them in ad copy

· Rotate at least two versions of ad copy to test what performs best

Match Keyword Strategy to the Ways Users are Searching

· Average search string getting longer. Expand keywords to match increasing specificity and user sophistication

· Users are searching on “cheap”, “discount”, “coupon codes” and similar value-oriented modifiers. Expand your keyword list with these variations

· Include modifiers that fit who the person is shopping for. For this holiday, include “Mom gift”, “present for grandmother”, etc.