Filipino moms are some of the most celebrated mothers in the world. Fondly called the ilaw ng tahanan (light of the house), our adoration for our mothers translates to bigger spending whenever we celebrate Mother’s Day. Filipinos spending more on Mother’s Day is a consumer behavior businesses can maximise in order to better serve their customers’ needs.
User traffic on Mother’s Day greater than on Christmas Day
Filipinos are willing to spend so much on Mother’s Day. In fact, the occasion has actually charted the highest user traffic in the Philippines in 2021, according to GrabAds’ Mother’s Day Shoppers Insight 2021. In the survey, the super app’s advertising unit asked 1,992 users from Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore about how they used the food delivery services during Mother’s Day.
Based on the survey, the average spend for the food delivery services increased by more than 40% during the occasion. On the other hand, the volume of orders increased by 30%.
This shows how Filipinos are finding a good alternative to dining out. A 2021 research indicated that one-third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants, while two-thirds were home-cooked. The rise of food delivery apps during the pandemic also resulted in 50% of customers deciding what to eat based on what they see on their apps.
The convenience of going online
When it comes to gift preferences, 89% of those surveyed said they will just buy through mobile apps like Grab. This speaks of the value placed on convenience and safety when it comes to important celebrations. In fact, in an e-commerce study, Filipino consumers have cited the following reasons for preferring online shopping:
- Convenience vs long lines at brick and mortar stores
- Better prices
- Better deals
Even as the country is slowly easing out of the pandemic, many Filipinos remain cautious, following health protocols and preferring contactless transactions.
Doing business on Mother’s Day
The key to catering to special occasions like Mother’s Day is to plan everything ahead. This helps you have enough time to accommodate your customers’ requests. This means making sure your order calendar is set and sticking to your quota to ensure the quality of your service. Any necessary last-minute changes should be accounted for.
For business owners who would like to participate in Mother’s Day celebrations, here are some business ideas that can help you stand out and attract more customers.
1. Accommodate special requests
Filipinos are sentimental, especially when it comes to gift-giving. Apart from leaving personalised notes on food or gift orders, having a dedicated section on your order form for special requests will be much appreciated. An alternative would be personally following up on this with your customers. This adds a special touch to the transaction. While the pandemic situation in the country continues to improve, different families enforce different levels of health protocols. In fact, some people who now have face-to-face office set-ups might prefer to live far from their families to lessen the exposure of vulnerable members.
This is a good opportunity to offer personalised services. Consider surprise deliveries to extend the warmth and comfort to mothers living far from their children. Going the extra mile will help your business retain and even attract more loyal customers.
2. Deliver on time
Special occasions like Mother’s Day are definitely a busy time for all businesses. Last minute orders can prove to be challenging. In order to make sure you are able to deliver goods or services on time, set a reasonable cut-off for orders. For special requests, set expectations on how these will impact the delivery of the order. Delivering on time signifies your commitment to your customers in keeping the occasion special.
To ensure safe, secure, and on time deliveries, consider enlisting the help of reliable couriers that can accommodate your delivery needs. Local courier services like ninjavan come with affordable packages and enable you to track and manage your deliveries.
3. Make transactions seamless and hassle-free
People ordering online value convenience and speed.
Nobody likes going through a tedious ordering process only to find out you cannot push through with it. A common problem is not having the payment option required by the store or the seller. This is doubly important to remember during special occasions like Mother’s Day.
Sellers must make sure that they have the capacity to handle and process high volumes of orders. Whether via your own website or through social media, it is best to provide a variety of payment options to customers. This can include direct debit, e-wallets, credit cards or debit cards, and even over the counter payments. This ensures no potential customer feels excluded. Making sure these payment options are safe and secure also helps foster trust between seller and customer.
These payment methods, with the addition of a buy now, pay later option, can be enabled using Xendit’s innovative payment solutions. With Xendit, you can take care of the orders while Xendit takes care of your transactions, which you can access under acentralised dashboard.
