Valentine’s Day Retail Ideas: 17 Approaches to Win Over Your Customers’ Hearts
Summary
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day, retailers! Since the day of hearts is upon us, we thought it is time to remind merchants about what they can do to spread the love. You don’t need to be in flowers or presents industry […]
Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day, retailers! Since the day of hearts is upon us, we thought it is time to remind merchants about what they can do to spread the love. You don’t need to be in flowers or presents industry to reveal your V-Day spirit. As you’ll see below, there are various things you can do about February 14 (or any day, for that matter) to show your clients and staff just how much you love them.
By Valentine’s Day marketing ideas to easy-to-implement campaigns, here are a few tactics to test on and before the 14th.
1. Find Valentine’s Day sales and partnership opportunities
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Valentine’s Day is the first consumer holiday of the year, so if you sensed business slow down from the Christmas season, this may be just the thing to give you a revenue increase.
Use this vacation to find revenue opportunities. If it makes sense to your organization, stock up on products which are generally bought for Valentine’s Day. These include jewellery, greeting cards, candy, or flowers.
It’s also important to bear in mind that Valentine’s Day is not only about”stuff.” A good deal of consumers tend to take care of their loved ones to experiences like dinner in a romantic restaurant or a movie night.
Bearing this in mind, consider partnering with a local restaurant or theatre this February. Maybe you can provide show tickets or gift certificates as part of a Valentine’s Day promotion.
2. Come up with winning Valentine’s Day marketing ideas
Speaking of that, according to a 2017 survey by the NRF, almost 49 percent of customers stated they would spend more if they struck”a excellent sale or advertising.”
Clearly, your clients are searching for a bargain, so it can be in your best interests to think of a promotion for Valentine’s day to draw people into your shop and drive sales.
For best results, spend some time considering your objectives, products, and clients when crafting your deal.
By way of instance, if you’re attempting to maneuver slow-moving stock, then a BOGO offer are the best course of action. But if your goalis too drive earnings, then a percent or dollar amount off may work best.
Whatever the situation, work out the best marketing type for your goods AND audience, then apply it on your shop.
3. Dedicate a special section in your site or shop for Valentine’s Day
If you’re selling lots of Valentine’s Day-centric product, why not put them all in one convenient part of your site or store? Doing this will make it easier for your customers to discover the items which they need. Forever 21 is doing just that this season. They have a”V-Day Shop” so shoppers can easily find exactly what the demand for Valentine’s Day.
Meanwhile, Target has a corner of its own shop devoted to Valentine’s Day product and deals. Have a look at their imaginative display below:
4. Position your products as a distinctive, non-typical Valentine’s Day present
Not selling romantic or gift-centric products? See if you’re able to promote them for Valentine’s Day anyway. Consider what BirchboxMan is performing: rather than attempting to market”typical” V-Day presents, the company is positioning their product as a special and non-cliche gift for Valentine’s Day, with the motto”better than melted chocolate.”
5. Invite customers to deal with themselves
Self-love is another exceptional angle for Valentine’s Day. If you do not have a great deal of intimate or gift-centric items in stock, then encourage shoppers to purchase your goods for themselves instead.
Take a look at what Kate Spade is performing. In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, the merchant sent an email promoting their personalized product and encouraging clients to provide themselves a well-deserved treat.
6. Find a Valentine’s Day angle to your product
Find ways to market your goods with the spirit of Valentine’s Day. Check out Apple’s V-Day effort this past year. While electronics are not inherently intimate, Apple made it work by highlighting the many ways that their products can make your loved ones smile.
7. Boost Valentine’s Day *adventures *
The NRF’s 2019 Valentine’s Day poll discovered that nearly a quarter of respondents (23.7percent ) planned on providing”a gift of experience,” while 42.3% stated they would like to receive one. That’s why if you are in the business of providing services or adventures, find ways to market them for Valentine’s Day.
By way of instance, a few years go, The Remedy Centers in Lexington, KY created Valentine’s Day Bundle comprising an hour massage, body scrub, and much more.
As we mentioned previously, the topics of others and treating yourself are popular throughout Valentine’s season, so see if you’re able to create store experiences around those topics.
8. Support a charity or local group
Here is an idea: show your clients how much you appreciate them by supporting a charity or organization which they love. What Pop & Ice Cream, a small business marketing and consulting company is performing.
“In Popcorn & Ice Cream, we are all about showing clients the love throughout the year which includes Valentine’s Day!” States Hillary Berman, Founder and Small Business Fanatic in the business.
“For the last two decades, we have sent our customers, in addition to business partners and friends a box of Girl Scout Cookies with a note wishing them a’sweet’ Valentine’s Day. They absolutely love the surprise and that we are supporting our neighborhood troop at precisely the exact same time.”
Why don’t you do something similar in your company? Give your best customers a token by copying it from a charity or group near their heart. This will let you kill two birds with one stone: you will spread the love to clients while supporting a worthwhile cause at the exact same time.
9. Offer your employees a Valentine’s Day treat
Do not forget your employees that this Valentine’s Day. Give them a particular V-Day gift to show your appreciation. Doing this won’t only delight them, but you can bet they’ll be so pleased, they will pass the love along to your clients.
Notice that what you choose to do doesn’t have to be a big, expensive gesture. On his website , Customer Service Expert Shep Hyken writes that companies can delight employees by simply providing a simple lunch or dessert. “How about a heart shaped cake. Just something to put a smile on everybody’s faces and put them in a terrific mood for the day. Happy employees lead to happy customers!”
10. Hold an event
Valentine’s season offers you a wonderful excuse to throw a party. Why don’t you maintain a customer appreciation event and treat your best patrons to free food and a fantastic time? You can even run a special sale while you’re at it.
That is what NRG Salon Spa in Ontario did. In 2013, they threw a”Be Mine” customer appreciation event that included beverages, desserts, flowers, and 15 percent off each of their services.
See if you can do something similar in your store. If you are an apparel retailer, for example, perhaps it is possible to hold a fashion show combined with a special Valentine’s Day sale.
11. Be romantic, but still be you
A fantastic way to make that”awww” factor without being trite would be to integrate love into the special aspects of your organization. Steer clear of teddy bears and candy hearts if these items do not have anything to with your organization. Instead, find ways to be intimate while still being YOU.
Case in point: Have a look at this cute advertisement by WiseUp Language School that reads,”Love is the language that unites people. English is what Happens.”
Through the effort, WiseUp was able to celebrate love while boosting its services at exactly the exact same time. Try to do something similar in your company.
12. Celebrate Various kinds of love
Valentine’s Day is not just about romance. A great deal of people celebrate their affection for family and friends in this time of the year, so don’t forget to highlight those kinds of love also.
By way of instance, if you are running a special offer for Valentine’s Day, then see to it that it is something which all your clients can enjoy.
Consider what Qdoba Mexican Grill did for Valentine’s Day in 2012. The restaurant encouraged its clients to share the love on February 14 by way of a creative Buy One Get 1 offer. To participate, customers had to buy one entrée and share a kiss with a significant other, relative, friend, or even a stranger–and Qdoba gave them a second entrée at no cost.
The advertising was a hit, and it enabled Qdoba clients to observe love (whether it is a significant other, friend, or relative) while enjoying a free meal at exactly the identical time.
13. Market according to sex
Remember that women and men have different buying habits during Valentine’s season. Men, for example, tend to spend more than girls. According to a study by SurveyMonkey,”men reported they’ll spend $100 on their significant other, while women said they will spend $50. When it comes to how much women and men expect their significant other to spend on them? Men expect to get presents at $5, and girls expect $50.”
Keep these distinctions in mind when implementing your V-Day campaigns. By way of instance, if you are sending emails or newsletters for Valentine’s Day, be certain that you segment your list by sex and send unique emails to each group.
For those who have any information on your website traffic, tailor your landing pages by displaying distinct recommendations and articles for both genders.
14. Inject humor
There isn’t a lack of jokes about February 14, so don’t be afraid to use them, particularly on social websites. Give your fans and clients a laugh by poking fun at Valentine’s Day. Comedians always have something to say this time of the year, so don’t hesitate to talk about their jokes or clips on your Facebook webpage or blog.
You may also take a look at Someecards.com and discuss (or make ) hilarious V-Day cards such as the one above.
15. Read your clients before approaching them
Rather than behaving all perky with everyone on Valentine’s Day, instruct your partners to get a sense for each client’s disposition before speaking to them.
Research has shown that being friendly and happy might not necessarily be the best way to approach consumers. When a shopper is in a bad mood, they will not be inclined to unique in a happy atmosphere.
So this Valentine’s Day, pay additional attention to the non-verbal cues of your clients. If a shopper looks happy and excited, then it is fine to be friendly and chatty. However, if a person is in a bad mood, it is ideal to be sympathetic or maybe a small reserved. Rather than rushing into chat and help them, give them some space. Acknowledge their existence, then softly remind them that you will be around to help if they need anything.
16. Lead shoppers to the Fantastic Valentine’s Day present
Here is another interesting tidbit from the NRF research: based on their poll, 36.4percent of respondents”indicated they would be willing to invest a bit more when they found the ideal present for someone.” This tells us that while getting a fantastic price is a significant element in people’s buying decisions, many customers would pay extra if they found the perfect present.
As a merchant, you will need to be certain your clients get their hands on the ideal present. This begins with being attuned to the tastes and preferences of your clients. Be certain that you know what they want and then stock up and product accordingly.
Another way to direct people to the great present is via gift guides. Think about creating a Valentine’s Day gift guide that categorizes items by giftee (i.e.,”For Him” or”For Her), funding (i.e.”Gifts under $25, $50, 100″) or even group (i.e.”Tech Gifts” or”antiques”)
Need inspiration for your V-Day gift guide? Check out what Macy’s is performing . The retailer’s manual makes it simple for shoppers to zero in on the ideal present. It’s well-organized and utilizes a excellent design.
17. Have your workers nominate memorable clients (then give them a special treat)
Think about giving out awards or special gifts to your best clients. But rather than just looking at sales data, identify these shoppers with more qualitative ways. Check out what Egencia (Expedia’s corporate travel arm) failed during its client appreciation attempt for Valentine’s Day this past year.
Egencia had its travel agents nominate customers for a Starbucks gift card, and they had their employees explain their reasons behind their nominations.
For example, one customer was nominated because they stayed patient with their travel agent despite being stranded. Another customer got a nomination since the agent enjoyed working together.
When the nominations were in, Egencia got in contact with the clients to send them their gift cards. The terrific thing about the attempt is that instead of simply giving off the Starbucks cards, Egencia took matters a little ways farther by actually telling their clients why they were nominated.
“I had planned on reaching out to the client rather than sharing why they had been nominated,” Cate Vanasse, Egencia’s Senior Marketing Manager told Marketing Sherpa. “But as I began to look through the reasons why travel advisers nominated somebody, it was so touching that we knew we needed to put this in front of the client.”
According to her, that human element went a long way with their clients, and Egencia got lots of fantastic feedback for this.
Bonus: Use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to evaluate your client relationships
Valentine’s is a excellent season to remind company that they are really in a connection with their customers. As Eoghan McCabe, co-founder and CEO of Intercom, puts it,”Lots of men and women use this time of year to reflect on their relationships with those most important to them- their nearest and dearest. It’s also a good time for companies to consider their relationships with those most precious to them — their clients!”
Among the top tips for doing so would be to treat every client as the unique individuals they are. “You wouldn’t speak to a new girl/boyfriend exactly the identical way as one you have dated for years, and you would not speak to that quiet accountant just like you’d that partying yoga teacher. Likewise, with your clients, do not use a one-size-fits-all communication strategy; customize your customer communications based on their history with your organization, use of your goods, and other elements.”
Erin Raese, President and COO of Loyalty360, echoes this and provides that companies should recognize clients and show their appreciation in customized manner. “As in any relationship, recognition is crucial. Recognize your best clients; tell them that you know they are patronizing,” she says.
“This could be done in a number of ways depending on your present strategies, you can simply say thank you through a handwritten letter, a personal phone call or an email or text. The more personal the station the better.”
Your turn
Have you ever revealed clients how much you love them recently? Are you planning to?
Can not implement these immediately? Recycle them for another event
The hints above can be Valentine-centric, but with a few tweaks, it is easy to recycle these initiatives for different occasions. Events, as an instance, could be hosted around any vacation or noteworthy situation (there is always a reason to throw a party!) ; and there is never really a bad time to surprise or delight your workers.
So whether you are reading this on Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or just a”regular” day of the year, constantly keep customer adore top of mind and always find ways to express it.