5 Marketing Ideas for Valentine’s Day
If you run an eCommerce business, you already know that properly planning marketing campaigns for the holidays is something that you can’t afford to do without. Valentine’s Day is no exception. You might be surprised to learn just how much money people spend on loved ones. According to the National Retail Federation, the majority of consumers ended up spending an average of $146.84 on Valentine gifts in 2016. Americans are buying a variety of gifts with that money, including: entertainment, dinner, chocolate, flowers, cards, jewelry, electronics and even gift cards. If you are like most business owners, you are still recovering from the Christmas craze which just wrapped up a short month ago. Here are five thoughtout marketing ideas that may help prepare your business for this upcoming Valentine’s Day:
• “Gifts She Will Love” and “Gifts He Will Love”
Creating a campaign category will save the consumer time. This directs the consumer right to the area they are interested in without making them work too hard for it. This is a good area to showcase your best selling items and your most popular products. Creating effective product images can also help ramp up your sales. For example, if you are selling jewelry, consider uploading an image of a model wearing the jewelry so that the consumer can visualize what it will look like on the person they are shopping for.• Become a Match Maker
Upsell products that go well together by cross-promoting similar or related items. This helps provide suggestions to consumers that are fresh out of ideas. This is also one of the best known ways to increase your company’s overall sales, by increasing the average amount sold per transaction. For example, feature some beautiful necklaces with matching bracelets.
• Launch a “Give Away”
Everyone loves a free gift. This campaign helps create a spark for people that aren’t interested in buying something because they may not celebrate Valentine’s Day. Consider giving away something people would buy for themselves or something that is considered cozy for the winter season. For example: slippers, tea or a book. If nothing else, this is likely to create some positive buzz on social networks, which is good for business.
• Host an Event
If your business already has a physical location, consider hosting an event on the evening of Valentine’s Day and inviting local consumers. For example: a romantic dinner, live music or wine tasting. If your business does not have a physical location, consider renting a space for the night. This can create a unique experience for couples that are hard to shop for while at the same time, create a rare social opportunity for you meet your consumers face-to-face. Another way to increase revenue at the event is to showcase your merchandise. For example, put together a mobile Valentines Gift Shop table featuring some of your most popular products to sell on site at the event.
• Last Minute Gift Ideas
Consider offering ideas for those consumers that have procrastinated. This is a great way to feature last minute gift ideas for those who have been too busy and haven’t purchased anything yet. Offering free shipping or a reduced rate for express shipping would make this deal stand out even more. Promoting electronic gift certificates is another attraction for last minute consumers because these can be purchased and delivered on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is a special day and consumers want to make sure everything is perfectly planned for their loved ones. Guide consumers by offering promotional campaigns on gifts they can purchase to help set the mood.
Shauna has a background in information technology and is currently a Senior Account Executive at Nexternal . She has been creating and cultivating client relationships with brands since 2007, offering her clients both eCommerce and online marketing insight.
