Many brands launch awareness campaigns on or around International Women’s Day (IWD), but fail to offer their female customers special deals to celebrate the occasion. These brands are missing out on a powerful opportunity, according to marketing experts at Omnisend.
Data from YouGov shows that about 1 in 10 women plan to shop IWD deals and expectations of promotions vary by category: 60% of women expect discounts from beauty and fashion brands, 57% from the health sector, and 49% from home and lifestyle.
“Brands try to avoid sounding too promotional on International Women’s Day, so for many of them highlighting women’s accomplishments and skipping the special deals seems like the safest option,” says Greg Zakowicz, Senior Marketing Expert at Omnisend.
“There’s no reason brands can’t, and shouldn’t, do both. And that is why having a mixed campaign – one that includes both promotional messaging and Women’s Day awareness – is the best option.”
Omnisend analysis showed that IWD sales are increasing year-over-year, as more brands (and consumers) use this day to celebrate the women in their lives.
It found that IWD was the most profitable day during the first three weeks of March 2023 and businesses made 26% more sales on March 8th compared to the average day in March.
Omnisend suggests these campaign ideas for IWD
- Promote self-gifting: Businesses should emphasise that IWD is a great time for women to treat themselves.
- Send product recommendations: This is a great time to recommend products either for the customers or the women in their lives. Businesses can do this by analyzsing the customer’s purchase history and best sellers, or including the newest products.
- Run time-sensitive promotions: Businesses can provide discounts, offer free shipping, run flash sales, or other offers that expire after International Women’s Day.
- Mix in some non-promotional messaging: The best practice is to add some non-promotional messaging to the campaign. Businesses can tell stories of the women who work at their company and raise funds for relevant charities.
ARA partners give back this IWD
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has partnered with social impact tech platform i=Change to support Shop for Change, a 3-day impact focused online shopping event from March 8 to 10, 2024.
During Shop for Change, retailers give back $3 per sale for 3 days. Customers shop as usual, the i=Change platform appears post-checkout and engages customers to choose where it goes. 100% of funds are forwarded to the chosen NGO projects, that have a direct impact on improving the lives of women and girls.
The collaboration aims to empower women and girls by supporting life-changing projects in Australia and globally. It allows consumers to be part of a larger movement towards gender equality, simply through their purchasing choices.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra says there has never been a more important time to be a part of the movement towards gender equality and act on humanitarian crises worldwide.
“Our partnership with i=Change is a testament to the power of collaboration in driving social change,” Mr Zahra says.
“By leveraging the vast network and influence of the retail industry, we can make a significant impact on the lives of women and girls around the world.”