Don’t forget—only 6 more shopping days to buy Mother’s Day hats!

Last summer, we discussed Father’s Day promotions. Today, we’re going to look at some small businesses that moms frequent, so you can try to set up some meetings to improve their swag game.

All of the women I know, myself included, love getting free gifts. We get a euphoric feeling when we receive something useful without paying or find something we adore only to learn it’s on sale!

I think it’s genetically linked to our XX chromosomes.

Experiences

People will often opt to give their mom an experience rather than a tangible gift. It’s your job to convince these companies to use Mother’s Day hats to promote their business.

Places like day spas, retreats, or full-service salons can use caps as part of the employee uniform. They can also sell their branded hats to customers as a way to promote sun-safety and discourage pre-mature aging.

Local fitness centers, particularly those targeted to women—yoga studios, spin classes, and barre workouts—can use their logoed hat as a piece of the instructor’s uniform. Caps are also a great thank you gift to give to first-time visitors and encourage them to continue the class.

Do-it-yourself craft shops are popping up all over the place, and it’s no surprise because they are a lot of fun! I recently went to a class at Painting with a Twist. The instructor played several games with participants throughout the night, and the winners went home with branded koozies, “WHY NOT HATS?” I silently shouted inside my head.

Some other experience-based businesses to consider include dinner theaters with shows or plays, local concert venues, casinos or horse tracks, music stores that offer lessons, and resort: ski resorts, beach resorts, campgrounds, you name it.

Food & Drink

Keeping with the idea of experience-based gifts, have you considered selling Mother’s Day hats to local kitchens that offer cooking courses to the public? These can be used in conjunction with aprons for patrons to wear during the classes and take home as a keepsake.

Wineries are another great place to sell promotional caps for Mother’s Day. Women—again, I’m including myself in this one even though I don’t have any children—love to tour the vineyards, taste the wines, and even stomp the grapes.

You can make an entire vacation out of one vineyard. Wineries can give away their branded hats to mom as a memory of her trip, as well as a reminder to pick up a bottle from their collection next time she’s at the grocery store.

Other mama-friendly restaurants include local brunch spots, bakeries, coffee shops, and frozen yogurt stores. It’s easier to get a meeting with decision makers if they’re locally owned, but even if it’s a chain restaurant, it never hurts to ask: you might just get lucky.

Shopping

I don’t have kids yet, but I think if I had to choose between shopping and my future offspring, it would be a tough call. Kidding. I mean, sort of. The point is, a lot of women love to shop.

Sell hats to local boutiques in your area, the employees can wear them as part of the uniform, and the stores can sell, or give them away to their VIP clients. Next time someone asks mom where she got her cute dress, she won’t even have to think about it, the boutique’s name will literally be on top of her brain.

Farmer’s markets are usually held outdoors during mornings/early afternoons from spring to fall. Often, the city is charged with hosting and vetting vendors. Reach out to your local government offices to see how you can help promote the market to vendors, patrons, and surrounding areas.

Other stores moms love to shop at include gardening centers, craft shops, florists, and bookstores. Mothers are especially fond of these places because they have arts and crafts, and other educational activities for the children. This way, mom can shop in peace while the kids are well taken care of, and learning something new.

Hopefully you have several of these in your hometown or close by, so you can significantly increase your sales of Mother’s Day hats.

Where can we sell custom caps in preparation for other upcoming holidays? Let us know your ideas in the comments below. You can also follow us on Instagram using the hashtag #hatswork.