Fathers are notoriously hard to shop for. That’s because if they want something, they just go out and get it. Research from The Journal of Retailing indicates two types of shopping motives exist: utilitarian, with a focus on practicality rather than attractiveness, and hedonic, with an emphasis on buying for pleasure. The majority of men lean toward the more utilitarian, functional approach.
However, with consumerism changing and channels like social media appealing to more shoppers, it’s getting increasingly more challenging to shop for and target consumers. Greg Maloney, CEO of JLL Retail, a unit of the investment management group JLL, told CNBC, “Men have a lot more choices to go out and shop for than they did ten years ago.”
With so many new specialty brands, men have many more options to evolve their shopping patterns and open their minds and wallets. How does a brand cut through all this noise?
Brands require a different approach this Father’s Day to either 1) encourage dads to decisively ask for what they want or 2) help those who buy for them identify dads’ needs and wants based on shopping behaviors. Programmatic Direct Mail presents a powerful option for targeting Father’s Day spenders where they spend most of their time—at home. With the ability to engage website visitors offline with more precision and relevance, you can create offers that better entice your audiences. Check out these example creatives of direct mail for Father’s Day as you develop your customer acquisition strategy ahead of the holiday.
- Keep it simple
Additional 2022 research from Horizon Media’s WHY Group showed men are more likely to shop and spend if brands make it quick, easy, and tactile. This is especially important for consumers shopping at home during the workday between meetings and other tasks.
This Tonal postcard advertising a higher-ticket item embodies these adjectives well. With a strong, black border, short, direct, and actionable copy, and a picture of the product in action as the focal point, this piece stands out in its sleek simplicity.
The offer details are conveniently shared on the back of the postcard to conserve real estate.
- Appeal to emotions with the right items
National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said of last year’s projected Father’s Day spending, “Spending patterns also reflect the sentimental nature of the holiday as consumers are prioritizing unique and meaningful gifts.”
Last year, clothing was Father’s Day’s most popular gift category, second only to special outings. The most critical factors influencing purchases were “finding a gift that is unique or different” (44%) and “finding a gift that creates a special memory” (37%).
Postcard advertising mail can combine these elements to appeal to at-home male and female shoppers. Rhoback Performance Polos uses this image of a father with his sons in crisp, matching shirts sitting in the back of a messy pickup truck—staging that evokes memories of boyhood and playing or working outdoors. The picture is so captivating, and the product is so excellently targeted that it needs no copy other than the brand’s logo.
John Hardy takes a similar approach, with a black-and-white image of two men wearing some of the brand’s jewelry and the logo as the only elements on the front of the piece.
- Make offers instantly shoppable
Father’s Day falls at a time of year when other significant events, like graduations, dance recitals, sports tournaments, and summer vacations, occur. Consumers often shop for Father’s Day alongside these other special events. That’s why cutting through the noise is essential, carefully targeting and messaging your offer, and providing quick and seamless purchase options. For instance, more than 83.4 million US smartphone users scanned a QR code in 2022. This number is expected to reach 99.5 million by 2025.
The back of the Rhoback Performance Polos piece of Programmatic Direct Mail for Father’s Day successfully and simply surfaces the offer details and multiple options to activate it, including an offer code with the website link underneath and a QR code, plus a customer testimonial. It’s perfectly laid out to draw attention to the 15% off deal, and the convenient placement of the QR code reduces barriers to purchase and makes the offer immediately redeemable.
Similarly, John Hardy shares a web link, a QR code, and a phone number to order one of its items.
Programmatic Direct Mail for Father’s Day campaigns doesn’t have to be arduous. Keep it simple and seamless with a small sprinkling of sentimentality, and you’ll snap up sales in no time.
