Hello creators! It’s time to start thinking about your Mother’s Day designs for 2023. We gathered the thortful team together to look back at five shining examples of our Mother’s Day bestsellers and discussed why we believe they had such wonderful commercial success. This is a slightly longer read than usual, so grab yourself a cup of tea (and maybe some biscuits).
1. 'Thanks for Wiping My Bum' card by Mrs Best Paper Co
We find this Mother’s Day card in our top sellers year after year, but why is this? And what makes it perfect for thortful?
– Broad Appeal to a variety of Shoppers
This clever design appeals to various potential senders, whether that’s from the baby, from the kids, or even adults looking for a funny Mother’s Day card. Perhaps this silly humour particularly appeals to male customers buying from the kids!
– Cute Style & Strong Design
We love Mrs Best’s distinctive design. It’s bold, readable and it’s cute in style, which we know to be one of our top selling categories for Mother’s Day.
– ‘Always On’
This is what we call an ‘always on’ card – it doesn’t specify ‘Mother’s Day’ as the occasion, so it can be the perfect card for Mum’s birthday too, generating sales all year round.
What makes it thortful?
At thortful we look for cards with ’emotional Impact’. This design has the perfect blend of cheeky and sentimental; from an adult shopper’s perspective, it allows you to thank Mum for looking after you, with enough humour to avoid a soppy moment (if soppy is not your thing!)
2. 'Lick the Beaters' card by IzzyLikesToDoodle
Another oldie but goldie. IzzyLikesToDoodle smashes her Mother’s Day sales every time with this popular design. Here are the reasons we discussed:
– Strong Design
It’s bold, simple and easy to read. The clean font allows you to read the funny caption at a glance, and her choice of strong colour helps the design stand out in the catalogue. It’s carefully centred with considered composition; professional despite being far from traditional.
– Personal with Mass Appeal
This design is so tongue-in-cheek, it’s personal. It’s not a card for every mum, but it’s the perfect card for many, perhaps those with a dark sense of humour or a fiery side. We also talked about how baking is a common nostalgic memory.
– Middle-aged Humour
We had a giggle about this one! While of course this is subjective, we feel the humour is just perfect for the demographic. We pictured the quote on a Facebook meme (minion optional) – it’s guaranteed to put a smile on a lot of mums’ faces!
What makes it thortful?
This card has an emotional impact. It will evoke a smile, maybe even a laugh from the recipient. It’s also a reflection of the relationship the sender has with their mum and that they understand her sense of humour, which is exactly what we think a greetings card should do.
3. 'Pretty Pink Bouquet of Flowers' card by Helen Mackay
This beautiful design was added to the thortful catalogue last year and has reached over 4,000 sales already. But what is it that makes this card so special?
– Classic Style
If you’ve read our consumer insights report, you’ll know that one of our biggest opportunities are ‘classic’ cards, and this style is particularly in demand for Mother’s Day.
– Words of Affirmation
Many customers simply want to make their mum feel loved and appreciated. However sometimes the right words are hard to find, and this card does the hard work for them.
– ‘Safe’ Design
Another reason we believe this design is so popular is that anyone can send it. The beautiful design paired with the heartfelt message is sentimental enough for those wanting to send something special, whilst generic enough to appeal to the buyers putting a little less thought into it.
What makes it thortful?
The sentimental message gives this card emotional impact. It appeals to a mass audience yet its design is original.
4. From the Dog card by Chelsey Adams
Another one of our all-time bestsellers. Chelsey has cleverly created variations; one with a yellow dog and with multiple dogs, to appeal to a wider audience. So what made these designs so successful?
– They were Designed with an Audience in Mind
Choosing your niche means less competition. There’s a surprisingly high demand for Mother’s Day cards from the pets, and it’s also an easy audience for us to market to, (targeting users with an interest in dogs on Facebook, for example).
– Features a Generic Dog figure
The dog illustrated can represent a variety of breeds, again, appealing to a broad audience.
– Its funny-cute balance
The relatable, observational humour around something that could be considered distasteful is perfectly balanced with ‘cuteness’. From its sweet illustration style to choice of language, the design diffuses any vulgarity (you can’t be mad about the word ‘poop’, can you?)
What makes it thortful?
This design thinks outside the box and not only targets a specific audience, but hits them with a funny reality they will relate to. We know there’s more than one kind of mum and we’re proud to cater for all kinds of families.
5. Wordle Card by Oh, Laura
And finally, this design sold almost 6,000 times last year. While the Wordle craze may be less prominent this year, we think there are still some learnings to take away from this brilliant card.
– Trend-focused
Last Mother’s Day, Wordle was especially popular and even trending on Twitter, so naturally this card sold like hot cakes! Whilst we encourage you to not solely rely on trends, do keep an eye out for the ones that mums might relate to – they’re sure to be a hit on social media.
– Mutual Interest
It refers to a shared interest between recipient and sender, which is wonderfully personal. Think about other hobbies and interests people share with their mums when creating your designs.
– “If you know, you know” Humour
The design’s caption is smarter than just referring to Wordle, it goes a step further and references it in a way only a player would understand – perfect for mums who take their Wordle very seriously!
What makes it thortful?
This card brilliantly demonstrates how quickly our talented creators can react to current affairs, trends and pop culture. It’s something we’re known and loved for, and something our competitors can’t compete with.
We hope this article provides you with food for thought as you design your Mother’s Day 2023 collection. Don’t forget to download our Mother’s Day Lookbook for further inspiration.
We’re always looking for feedback, so let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to see covered on our blog by dropping us an email at [email protected].
We can’t wait to see your designs!
Team thortful x
