As consumers continue to follow stay-at-home guidelines, they’re searching for new ways to celebrate spring holidays—remotely—with loved ones.

This spring, as people continue to follow stay-at-home orders, they’re prioritizing finding new and safe ways to stay connected with loved ones. And the majority of the time, they’re turning to their phones to communicate. Since January 2020, mobile internet browser usage has increased during typical working hours as consumers browse products and services. The same research found that people are also now using their mobile devices later at night, meaning consumers are more connected than ever before.

As important spring holidays—like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day, and Graduation—quickly approach, consumers are looking for thoughtful ways to let their friends and family know they’re thinking of them and care for them. 78% of consumers say that celebrating Mother’s Day is especially important to them this year given the current state of the coronavirus. As a result, they’re interested in spending more than usual to celebrate their loved ones. Shoppers are expected to spend an average of $205 on Mother’s Day gifts and celebrations—$8 higher than last year—purchasing celebratory items like cards, special meals, and high-value items including electronics.

These sentiment-driven spring holidays create an important opportunity for brands to engage with existing and potential customers. Marketers need to have a thoughtful mobile strategy to ensure they’re cutting through the noise to directly communicate with shoppers and drive revenue. Now more than ever, consumers are choosing to communicate via text messaging, meaning marketers can rest assured knowing their messages will be heard.

Here are four strategies for how savvy marketers can communicate with consumers through personalized text messaging & drive revenue during the upcoming spring holidays:

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1. Inspire shoppers with themed gift guides

Now that shoppers are doing all of their browsing online (rather than in physical stores), many retailers must shift the way they think about the product discovery experience.

Curating thoughtful gift guides is one thoughtful way to inspire shoppers while promoting cross-selling initiatives. Create themed lists of complementary products—centered around holidays, personal styles, or interests and hobbies—to help shoppers find the perfect presents for their loved ones.

By sending these helpful guides directly to your subscribers’ text messaging inboxes—where they’re spending a significant amount of their time—your brand can stay top of mind.. They’ll appreciate the time you took to sort and recommend products and will be more inclined to purchase items that complement one another.

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2. Highlight personalized gifts

Since people can’t celebrate spring holidays with one another in person, they’re looking for unique ways to add personalized touches to their gifts. Send an attention-grabbing text message to subscribers with a GIF highlighting products that come in different colors for shoppers to choose from, with a direct link back to your site to start shopping.

If your brand offers personalization services, like monogramming, consider sending an exclusive text message to subscribers offering free personalization. They’ll love that they can add a personal touch to their gifts, showing their friends and family they took the time to think about them.

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3. Drive action by sharing helpful shipping reminders

Because many of us can’t celebrate important sentimental holidays—like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day—with our families in person, it’s important that those we care about know we’re thinking about them. And it’s important that shoppers know the thoughtful gifts they picked out will arrive in time for the special occasion.

Send helpful reminders to text messaging subscribers to place their order when shipping deadlines are approaching—especially if some shipping times are delayed. It creates a sense of urgency for shoppers, and they’ll appreciate knowing that their gifts will arrive on time. Or, if your brand offers same-day or scheduled delivery, drive last-minute revenue by letting shoppers know they can still send gifts to loved ones in time for the holiday.

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4. Promote e-gift cards

E-gift cards are an excellent way to drive revenue not only during the spring holidays, but during the summer months. With 85% of gift cards being redeemed in the first 60 days, your brand will see another wave of sales at the beginning of summer.

Recommend e-gift cards to text messaging subscribers as a gift for recent graduates. Class of 2020 graduates aren’t able to celebrate the momentous occasion with their classmates, friends, and family this year. Brands need to act with empathy, and be sensitive to this loss of experience. But at the end of the day, graduating is a major accomplishment and an exciting event that’s worth celebrating, even if ceremonies are postponed. As graduates plan to move on to new chapters in their lives, they’ll love receiving digital gift cards to pick out what they’d like to purchase. Include a fun graphic of graduation-themed e-gift card designs and a link directly back to your site for your subscribers to complete their purchase.

While spring holiday celebrations definitely look different this year, the need to celebrate those we love is more important than ever. As consumers prepare to spend more on gifts for their friends and family than last year, marketers need to have a strong mobile messaging strategy in place to spur immediate action—and drive incremental revenue.

To learn more about how leading brands and organizations are using personalized text messaging to increase engagement, promote brand loyalty, and drive revenue, download the Spring 2020 edition of Mobile Messaging Masters. You’ll see 8 best-in-class text message examples, plus tips for implementing your own mobile messaging strategy.