Valentine’s Day is a huge opportunity for retailers, even if you don’t sell what might be seen as traditionally romantic goods. Anything and everything can be bought as a gift for a loved one, so there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take advantage of the 11 percent average improvement of order values that retailers saw in the week before Valentine’s Day 2018.
Valentine’s is one of the biggest shopping days in the calendar, and it is important that not only do you see how your business can benefit, but how you can ensure that others see the benefit in buying from you.
Who Gets The Gifts?
In order to really make the most of this loving season, it is useful to know who the recipients of these gifts are. That way, you can turn your advertising in the right direction. When surveyed, 53 percent of women were adamant that if they didn’t receive a Valentine’s gift they would end their relationship. Drastic though this might be, that means that it is women’s gifts that are going to sell best.
How can you turn what you sell into a gift for women? This is the question that needs to be at the forefront of any advertising campaign you set out creating for Valentine’s Day 2019. Make sure that men (because the majority of buyers will be men) can see not only the value in what you are selling but that they can also see just how it would be the ideal gift for their partner or spouse.
Yet it’s not just women who are going to receive the most gifts at Valentine’s. Perhaps not surprisingly given that we are a nation of animal lovers, it is our pets who are going to benefit from being all loved up too. Around nine million pet owners are going to be tempted to buy their pet a gift (even if they actually have a partner). So, if you sell pet products, this can be your time to shine – create an advertising campaign that reminds people how much they love their pets and that they shouldn’t be forgotten at this time of year, and you’ll make more sales.
Finally, single people want gifts too. So much so that, because Valentine’s is a potentially painful time for them, they will buy themselves something to make them feel happier. Of course, when advertising your products you don’t want to target singletons exclusively, but if you can mention the fact that this could be a gift you keep for yourself, you could be onto something.
Online Sales Win Out
Valentine’s Day is all – it seems – about the online sales. In the US, for example, revenue from ecommerce on Valentine’s goods comes in at an average of $5.4 billion. So what is the reason for online sales to do so well at this time of year?
To begin with, it’s time. Valentine’s Day might be advertised everywhere, and hints might be dropped, but with everyone being so busy sometimes (often) it can all be left rather to the last minute, meaning that buying online for a next day delivery can be the option that saves the day.
Secondly, Valentine’s Day has become bigger and better than ever before, and that means that those receiving presents want something bigger and better than ever before as well. The choice in physical stores is limited, no matter how good it might actually be, so those looking for something unique and special head online instead. Here the choice is huge – the options extend around the world assuming enough time has been left for the goods to be delivered. With that much choice and that much convenience all combined, it’s no wonder that ecommerce and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand.
When Does The Buying Start?
Although there will always be a few people who start their buying early because they are extremely organised and want to ensure they get the right thing before it sells out, most people will leave obtaining their loved one’s gift until the week before Valentine’s itself.
IBM’s Digital Analytics Benchmark showed that certain sectors had higher increases than others between 2013 and 2014 in this week. General gifts went up by a massive 20 percent, and health and beauty items increased by 15 percent.
Yet it’s not just these sectors that will be able to benefit from the buying frenzy that accompanies Valentine’s Day – almost every sector, with the right kind of marketing, will be able to make the most of this spending spree. From flowers to chocolate, from jewellery to clothing (including but not limited to nightwear and underwear), from romantic meals out to getaways, and even smaller items such as books and music, everything has the potential to be a gift.
Don’t Call It Quits On The 15th
Although Valentine’s Day is 14th February, that doesn’t mean you have to take down all your romantic advertising as soon as the clock strikes midnight. In fact, it pays to keep the love going for as long as possible. Why is this?
The first reason is that, no matter what hints they may have received, there will always be people who have left things until the last minute and then, sadly, left things too late. This means that if you extend for Valentine’s offers and offerings, they can still buy something lovely from you, all wrapped up in a Valentine’s style package. Although their other half might still be a little (or a lot – remember there are 53 percent of women who say that a forgotten gift would cause them to walk out) upset by their forgetfulness, a late present is better than no present at all.
Plus, there are the ‘thank you’s. If someone has received a wonderful gift, they might be tempted to give one in return, or buy an additional gift to combine with something they already purchased. So keep the love alive for a few more days to really make the most of the time of year.
It’s All About Love
The most important thing to remember when it comes to selling for Valentine’s Day is that it always needs to be about the emotion behind the event, and in this case it is purely and completely love. This needs to be reflected in your advertising as much as possible. Don’t just tell people that this is the best gift they can buy; reiterate that this is the gift that their partner is truly going to love.
If you’re not sure how to twist your advertising to make it about love, take a look at past examples from your competitors if you can – search online for their older advertising campaigns and take a good look. You’ll soon get the idea of how to introduce love into every aspect. Or you might discover that your competitors haven’t taken advantage of the season and haven’t made their advertising as loving as it could be; this is a great positive for you since you can easily outdo them and ensure that your shop or website is where people head instead of theirs.
How To Get Ready
Preparation is the key to any good sales period, and Valentine’s is no different. People expect lots of hearts and flowers (perhaps literally), as well as cute sayings, and lots of pink. Don’t worry about bringing out your cheeky side either; this can bring in more sales as it shows you’ve got a sense of humour. Don’t be too overt or outride rude though; unless you’re running a sex toy shop that’s not what people are looking for.
As well as decorating your shop and website to match the season, you should also be aware that search terms are going to be very Valentine’s-centric. The best way to utilise this is to ensure your SEO keywords are relevant. Don’t just use the word Valentine’s though; try others such as sexy, love, romantic, gift, or even be more specific and go for chocolates or jewellery. Keep it relevant but make sure it is noticed.
Conclusion
No matter what you are selling, you should be prepared for a surge in online traffic (and potentially offline traffic) in the week before 14th February. Since so much of this traffic will be coming from people on the move, your website needs to be optimised for mobile devices. This way you really can make the most of what you have to offer those in love, those who want to treat their pets, or those who just want to treat themselves this Valentine’s Day.
