In this article, we explore theAsianparent Insights’ Holiday Season PH report to guide you into Marketing to Filipino Mothers During the Holiday Seasons.
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Filipinos and their love for the holiday seasons
Filipinos are wild about the holiday seasons. It is something that Filipinos look forward to on a yearly basis.
True, plenty of other countries get very excited about the holiday seasons, too. But Filipinos are next level. If you’re from the country or you see Filipinos celebrate Christmas, I’m sure you would agree.
It’s only February? Doesn’t matter. There’s going to be a huge chunk of Filipinos who are already planning their next Christmas vacation. Maybe even for the New Year as well.
Heck, a lot of Filipinos force themselves to wake up at 3 am for 9 consecutive days to complete the Simbang Gabi or Misa de Gallo tradition. Most of them hope that by the end of it, they can be granted a single wish.
Is the holiday bonus making everyone happy? Is it the fact that the majority of Filipinos are Christians and they’re excited to celebrate the birth of Jesus? Is it the anticipation for the fresh start the New Year brings?
No one knows for sure. The reason is probably different for everyone. There’s one thing we can guarantee, though. During the holiday seasons, Filipinos shop. A lot.
In the Philippines, there are shopping malls wherever you go. But no matter how many shopping malls there are, during the holiday seasons, all of them are overflowing with shoppers. Especially once after families receive their Christmas bonuses.
And, who’s leading these malls sprees? Filipino mothers, of course.
Marketing to Filipino Moms during the Holiday Seasons
We can all agree that marketing to Filipino moms during the holiday season is important for brands. They pick the meals for their holiday feasts, the decorations for their homes, the gifts for their kids, and even their kids’ gifts to other kids.
Factually, we know moms are the biggest spenders of the household based on plenty of data. However, during the holidays, data is no longer required to prove this fact. Going to a mall around Christmas time and seeing for yourself is enough.
How do we market to Filipino moms effectively during the holidays, now that we’re still in a pandemic?
Upon the writing of this article, there are only 4 weeks of time left before the actual Christmas day. So, how do we market to moms effectively this holiday season while there’s a pandemic still around?
Below are some of the best things you can do when marketing to Filipino moms during the holiday seasons based on data we have gathered from our latest Holiday Report 2021: Philippines.
Be a responsible brand when marketing to Filipino moms during this year’s holiday season
First and foremost, we have to continue being responsible brands during this year’s holiday season. To know why let’s look at what’s going on right now.
As of November 23, only 34.2 million out of 111 million Filipinos are declared fully vaccinated while 43.9M has at least one dose. As of November 29, 36.3% of Filipinos have been fully vaccinated which is around 40.5 million.
While those numbers seem like a lot, the number of vaccinations is nowhere near what scientists believe to be the optimal percentage for herd immunity. Normally, that would be 60% to 70% of the population, but it’s different in some cases like COVID’s.
According to some experts, something as contagious as the COVID would have to have around 85% of the population vaccinated in order to gain true herd immunity.
Here lies the problem.
Four weeks before Christmas, the restrictions have become less and less strict. Filipinos are almost back to normal. Bars and clubs are crowded, long lines await in shopping malls, and families are dining out. Everyone’s trying to make up for the 2 years COVID took away.
Needless to say, if you want mothers to shop physically again, that’s one less problem to worry about. If anything, they miss being able to shop inside malls with their kids.
You might be thinking, “Finally. We’ve been waiting for this pandemic to end since it started. I’m glad everyone’s back to their usual business.”
But, exactly. Behind the façade of the lowered restrictions, it’s easy to feel like the pandemic is already over. However, the pandemic is nowhere near its end yet.
What we want to avoid are more COVID spikes and lockdowns.
Remind moms to stay cautious and responsible
Go online and post regular reminders for Filipino moms. Encourage them to do their holiday activities responsibly. Remind them to keep wearing masks properly and wash their hands often. A simple post can go a long way.
Many kids are not yet vaccinated
Most Filipino kids below 18 are not yet vaccinated because orders that allow their vaccinations are only recent. That’s not very comforting since newer variants pose bigger threats to children.
Remind moms that taking their children outside should still be avoided. However, we know how excited kids are to go outside after all this time. Hence, if they insist on going out, avoid taking their young ones to crowded places. For example, going to malls during weekends.
Remind them to keep their vacations and getaways safe. Pack masks and sanitizers, avoid popular tourist spots, and keep their meals healthy to strengthen their immunity.
No matter how much the rules have changed, dangers of COVID still await outside for young families. We have to be responsible enough to remind them of that, for everyone’s sake. No one wants more lockdowns.
Being responsible can bring you closer to Filipino moms and encourage purchase
Differentiating your brand from others during the holiday seasons can be quite tough. Filipino moms are motivated by discounts during the holidays more than they are motivated by the brand they’re buying from.
According to our Holiday Report, 50% of Filipino moms plan to purchase high ticket items during the holidays because of the discounts they can get.
How do you differentiate yourself effectively? Now’s the perfect time to become more responsible against COVID. Most brands are moving on from the “during these tough times, we’re here with you” posts. The stage is all yours.
Reminding them of being responsible when they’re starting to forget that their families’ lives are still at risk no longer makes you just a “brand.” It turns you into a brand that truly cares about their well being, and that’s quite powerful.
That is, if you do it well, of course. We’re rooting for you.
Aggressive online marketplace marketing
Over the course of the pandemic, we found out that Filipino moms have grown fond of online shopping. We also know that this habit is not going away even after the pandemic.
During this holiday season, mothers are going to be buying from physical stores more often. But that doesn’t mean that online shopping is out of their options. In fact, e-commerce sales are the most effective in persuading moms to buy gifts.
Promotional offers persuade mothers to buy gifts online and offline
We asked moms about the factors that influence them when purchasing gifts. 74% are influenced by promotional offers on e-commerce platforms, while 69% are influenced by the
Why are we recommending aggressive online marketplace marketing to Filipino moms exactly?
Because aside from those, mothers are also highly influenced by the recommendations of other moms on online parenting platforms (62%), social media influencers (43%), and online ads on e-commerce sites (33%).
Putting a big chunk of your holiday marketing budget on online marketing will definitely pay off. Since it’s very easy to buy online these days, whenever a mom sees something she likes through any online platform, she can just click the link and buy it.
That is an opportunity for you. Once a Filipino mom sees something she likes, it is highly likely that she will compare it with other products on different marketplaces (based on data). This is because moms are always looking for the best deals.
Hence, an aggressive marketplace marketing strategy can come in handy. This can 1) prevent moms from looking at competitors, 2) help them make instant purchase decisions, 3) make them purchase from you instead, and 4) browse through the other products inside your e-commerce store.
In-store samples and demos
We know that the spending tolerance of mothers is much higher during these times. On average, they are willing to spend at least Php10,029 on gifts alone. 85% of moms are planning on buying personal high-value items during the holidays, as well, such as home appliances.
We also know that 63% of Filipino moms are planning to go shopping inside malls as a top holiday activity. Given that, we’re sure that they’re going to be spending a lot of money on in-store purchases. Especially for personal items and those that are harder to purchase online such as refrigerators or washing machines.
Marketing to Filipino moms by taking advantage of in-store samples and demos are the best way to pressure moms–err, persuade moms, we mean–into buying from you.
Samples and demos can open their doors to purchases they weren’t even thinking about.
Effectively show how powerful a washing machine can be inside your store to show moms how convenient their lives can be if they bring it home.
Make samples of coffee made from coffee machines in front of moms to make them realize that all they need are good pods and coffee makers to make them feel like they’re relaxing in a Starbucks store every morning.
Samples and demos also give you foot traffic that can make other shoppers curious about what’s going on in your store. This strategy may feel old and outdated, but they’re mighty reliable.
Just try to make sure your store follows proper health and safety measures. Remember, there’s still a pandemic.
Encourage user-generated content through subtle ways
Sometimes, aggressive marketing tactics don’t feel quite right. If you think they’re not fit for your brand or you just want to add more flair to your current plans, there’s a great way to do that subtly.
As usual, Filipino moms still spend a lot of time on social media and parenting apps despite their busy schedules during the holiday seasons. On average, they spend 3.7 hours on social media and 2.3 hours on parenting apps. That’s a quarter of their whole day!
Based on previous studies, we also know that Filipino moms like engaging with content and sharing photos on social media.
Knowing this, posting “shareable” images, videos, and stories can encourage a lot of user-generated content that your brand can benefit from.
The posts don’t even have to be extra, a simple Christmas or New Year countdown are already shareable. However, like always, the sky’s the limit and we can’t wait to see what your brands produce in the next few weeks.
Slightly unsubtle user-generated content
If you want to be slightly more sure that moms will be sharing your content, though. Raffle contests that require moms to share, like, and comment or post things on their own with hashtags are widely popular among the community and are sure to give you some exposure.
Download the Holiday Season 2021: Philippines report
We have plenty more insights for you, so make sure to download the Holiday Season 2021: Philippines through this link or by visiting the Insights page here on our website where you can also find insights on other topics.
If you need help with obtaining other insights on moms during the holidays and other occasions, do not hesitate to send us an email at [email protected]!
