email marketing

Why Brands Are Letting People Opt Out of Mother’s Day Email

It is kind. And strategic.
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Francis Scialabba

· 3 min read

The holidays can be hard. Not just the holidays, but all holidays.

Marketers are taking note. In the weeks leading up to Mother’s Day, brands including Etsy, beauty brand Three Ships, and even chili sauce maker Fly By Jing have asked their audiences if they want to skip out on Mother’s Day emails.

Etsy sent its first “opt-out” email during the last week of March, a week before the brand’s Mother’s Day campaign began running on April 1.

Here’s what it said:

  • “We understand that Mother's Day can be a difficult time for some. If you'd rather not receive emails from us about Mother's Day this year, let us know by removing yourself below.”

An Etsy spokesperson told Marketing Brew it was the first time the brand gave people that option, partially inspired by the pandemic.

  • “After such a heavy year, the team agreed that this Mother’s Day felt especially emotional. For many, it will likely be filled with joyous family reunions but for others, who are potentially grieving a loved one, struggling with infertility or have strained family relations—it is a difficult day,” the spokesperson told us.
  • “For those individuals, seeing constant reminders...can make it even more difficult,” they added.

Etsy declined to say how many subscribers actually opted out of the messaging or how important Mother’s Day sales are to its bottom line. Three Ships told Marketing Brew that “around 280 customers” have opted out of its Mother’s Day emails, or roughly 0.5%.

Needless to say, it’s important: Consumers are expected to spend an average of $220 each on Mother’s Day this year, totaling a whopping $28.1 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

Keep ’em

Beyond being empathetic to your subscribers, there’s a strategy behind the opt-out.

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“The more consent you have and the more of a relationship you can establish, the longer they’ll stay around,” said Josh Pierry, CEO of digital marketing agency Pierry, who explained that the trend has picked up in the last couple of years. “If someone wants to opt out, that’s a data point and something we get to know about a consumer.”

In practice, a brand could follow up with a Friendsgiving promo the next fall, Pierry noted.

It’s also a savvy way to keep email subscribers around, said Kate Muhl, a marketing analyst at Gartner. It’s a “retention move,” she explained, adding that brands who use opt-outs for holidays like Mother’s Day are “probably going to stem the tide of people who are frustrated, hurt and triggered by your [emails], and opt out altogether.”

What’s next?

So can we skip the deluge of holiday deals later this year? Not yet. “Mother’s Day and Father’s Day aren’t minor holidays, but [they’re] nowhere near the same thing as Christmas,” said Pierry. “The risk on that would be too big.”

Takeaway: Opt-outs are a simple, quick way to create a (somewhat) emotional connection with people without asking for a whole lot—or spending a ton of money. Muhl described them as “small and easy spots to get a win.” — RB

Get marketing news you'll actually want to read

Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.