Mother's Day is a time to celebrate all the motherly figures in our lives. It's also a prime opportunity for you as a business to run special offers and promotions.

But with the rush to make the most of Mother’s Day sales opportunities, remember that your pricing and promotions must be fair and legal.

Your customers are likely to rely heavily on online information when they are shopping.

So, make sure your claims – from product descriptions to stock levels and delivery timeframes – are clear, accurate and substantiated.

Check out our 5 top tips for a happy Mother’s Day – which is Sunday, 12 May this year.

Techniques like countdown timers and limited stock notifications can create a sense of urgency and can increase a customer’s fear of missing out.

While not illegal if true, these types of claims can discourage shoppers from comparing prices and potentially finding better deals elsewhere.

If you use these tactics, ensure the information is accurate and can be supported by information you hold.

Advertising that a "limited edition Mother's Day gift basket" is “selling fast” may be misleading if you have ample stock readily available and it is unlikely you will run out of supply.

Highlighting customer reviews or customers who have previously purchased goods can be effective marketing tactics, but only if they are authentic. Publishing fabricated reviews or inflated sales numbers is misleading and illegal.

If you use genuine reviews to attract customers, ensure you play fair and do not cherry-pick or use reviews from older products, not reflecting the actual products being promoted.

Don't inflate the original selling price to make a discount seem bigger. Ensure your "regular price" reflects a genuine price at which the product has been offered recently.

Advertising a necklace at "50% off!" with a price tag of $200 (original price: $400) is almost guaranteed to attract customer attention. However, if the necklace has never actually been advertised for $400, you will be misleading your customers.

Don’t use statements such as “Everything 50% Off” or “All handbags half price” when there are a great number of exclusions, for example if only a small selection of handbags are half price.

You should also regularly monitor stock levels and update your website to avoid advertising unavailable items.

Don't hide crucial information in fine print. Be upfront about all aspects of your offer.

By ensuring transparency and avoiding misleading tactics, you and your customers can celebrate that special someone in their lives fairly while building trust and customer loyalty.

Find out about your obligations as a business from the Commerce Commission.

Your obligations as a business(external link) — Commerce Commission New Zealand