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Tradition never gets old. Jewellery has always been a thoughtfu; gift idea, and couldn't be better for Mother's Day.

Think jewellery for Mother's Day

Posted May 09, 2012 |

Thought about jewellery for Mother's Day? Dads and kids, keep your fingers on the pulse for the latest jewellery trends because a recent survey has revealed mothers have revealed a list of top desired gifts on her special day.

A US survey, commissioned by Ebates.com and run by Harris Interactive, used a sample of 2,215 adults and found mothers rated a spa day as their most desired Mother’s Day gift, followed by flowers and jewellery.

Meanwhile, male respondents misfired when asked what they thought their mothers wanted most, with 72 per cent of the sample choosing flowers.

The findings were reflected in the sentiment of a number of Australian retailers, who this week told Jeweller they had experienced a spike in sales leading up to this weekend.

Holly Baxter, owner of Paddington jewellery store Trilby Phoenix, said Mother’s Day probably pips Valentine’s Day as a busier period.

“It’s a really strong occasion for us,” Baxter said. “It’s probably second to Christmas for sales, and we’ll start seeing that this week. There are a lot of husbands, sons and daughters who come in, so you’ve got a wider range of customers than Valentine’s Day. It’s more than one person buying for one person.”

Vanessa Cunliffe, owner of Perfect Pieces Jewellery in Tamworth, agreed that Mother’s Day is the second biggest trading period, but said recently the date seemed to be lacking lustre.

“I can’t say we broke any records last year, it was probably a little bit down” Cunliffe said. “It feels like there has been a lot more advertising for Mother’s Day this year, but I just don’t feel the vibe that people are talking about it.

Cunliffe said customers have come through her store and shown interest in pieces, and she has had to remind them of the celebration.

“I think there is a lack of awareness about the day,” she said. “I’m hoping the penny will drop and there will be great trading this week, it’s a wait and see game. There’s still not a lot of consumer confidence out there though, it’s very slow.”

Baxter said her store typically promotes the celebration with window displays, colourful gift-wrapping, and new jewellery pieces brought in specifically to sell to mothers.

“Normally we bring in a few capsule collections,” Baxter said. “We order in slightly more precious things. For instance, we have a series of diamond bracelets that layer well by Jessie Lane, and a new Loveheart necklace by a Swedish designer called Renaissance Life.”

Baxter said sentimental pieces are very popular around Mother’s Day, and magazines often pick up on the quirkier items, which helps promotion.

“The Loveheart necklace has a secret drawer in it,” she said about the Renaissance Life piece, “the giver can write something in it and it goes back inside.”

Cunliffe said a lot of the companies have helped with promotion for the day by running their own competitions.

“Many companies are bringing out promos,” she said. “Pandora has done one, if you spend $120 you get a clip bracelet. Thomas Sabo has brought out new charms and offered to run a competition in-store to win a necklace, and Ice-Watch has offered a new watch display box. Adding something extra like this is a great way to get consumers spending instead of looking for discounts all the time.”

Baxter said that while the Mothers Day period is typically a good business time, it doesn’t last long.

“It’s a concentrated spike,” she said, “It lasts seven to 10 days. There are a lot of last minute buyers, husbands in particular.”

It may not drag out, but customers are certainly willing to spend big for their mothers. Baxter estimates that the average Mother’s Day purchase is in the range of $320 to $600 for customers in their 20s and 30s. She said she also has many teenage girl customers, spending on average between $60 and $150.

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