Useful Valentine’s Day Tips & Stats For Ecommerce Businesses

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Love is in the air as Valentine ’s Day lurks around the corner in the month of February. In physical stores, we’ll all see tell-tale signs of the coming holiday, with red-themed décor and maybe even a few stacks of chocolate and teddy bears here and there. Online stores will also be doing their own fair share for the seasonal celebration, as more than 35% of Americans plan to shop for Valentines online, along with other nations around the world that are preparing to celebrate this season of love.

While not an official public holiday, Valentine’s is a cultural phenomenon that has us buying flowers, toys, edibles, and various gifts for the ones that we love. According to data collected from a survey, 51% of people in the United States reported that they plan to celebrate the holiday, with Americans expected to spend $20.7 billion just on Valentine’s Day alone.

According to data taken from the National Retail Federation, people this year are ready to spend an average of $196.31—that is21% more than last year’s  average of$161.96. Valentine’s day is a holiday that a lot of people love to hate, while other’s won’t ever wanna miss out. We can give credit to the the proliferation of the cultural trends to buy gifts, not only for our significant others, but also for our mom’s, friends, co-workers, beloved pets, and don’t forget the rebellious singles who are celebrating self-love this Valentine’s Day.

Let’s have a look at what people typically purchase for Valentine’s Day according to the NRF’s 2019 estimates:

• $3.9 billion on jewelry
• $3.5 billion on an evening out
• $2.1 billion on clothing
• $1.9 billion on flowers
• $1.8 billion on candy
• $1.3 billion on gift cards
• $933 million on greeting cards

These numbers are estimates that are limited to only the United States. Now, imagine what the rest of the world has been getting up to on Valentine’s Day? As shoppers plan their purchases and scramble for the perfect gift or gesture that they can make for their loved one, it’s time to ready up your online store for one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year. Here are our tips to making a killing this Valentine’s:

1. Have A Valentine’s Themed Store

In order to reflect  the spirit of Valentine’s, it’s only natural that you get with the times with the use of themed seasonal marketing. This means it’s time to add a few dashes of romance to your online store and change the theme into something that says “love is in the air and we are ready to celebrate!”. You can go all out, or keep it simple by adding a banner that links Valentine’s Day shoppers to a section dedicated to celebrating this holiday of love.

Brick and mortar stores around the world are investing in decorating their stores in pink hearts and love-themed décor, and you can emulate the festivities on your online site too! You can change the graphics and images on your homepage to grab Valentine’s Day shoppers’ attention, so that they will know that they are in the right place with you.

Some things that you can add to your store include:

• A welcome coupon that offers a discount code to Valentine’s Day shoppers.
• A new Valentine’s themed banner for your homepage that advertises your special offers.
• A new product line or product bundle that makes Valentine’s gift giving easier.
• You can even tweak your logo to be a bit more Valentine’s themed.

2. Have A Valentine’s Product Section

Keeping in line with having tweaking the theme of your shop, it’s also best to celebrate the holidays with products you believe your target audience will be interested in purchasing. You can refer back to our list of what people typically buy, which includes jewelry at the top of the list.

Even if your online store doesn’t include things like jewelry and gift cards, you can always find a way to promote your items as great valentine’s gifts. Love is something that is universally worth celebrating, and we tailor our gift giving based on what we know our loved ones enjoy or are passionate about, so we are sure that whatever store you run has Valentine’s day-worthy gifts. For instance, if you run a store that specializes on hiking gear, you can just as well market your products under a Valentine’s day “for him” or “for her” section for your outdoorsy demographic.

3. Create Gift Guides

Let’s face it, gift giving can be an overwhelming task, and lot of us are clueless when it comes to what gifts to give the special people in our lives. This is why publishing useful gift guides, date tips, and having special product lines, like “gifts for him” can add value to your potential customers shopping experience with you.

If you have a blog alongside your ecommerce business, run a handful of themed blog posts that aren’t necessarily directly targeted at making sales. You can write articles on things like date ideas, and other more direct tactics like gift guides.

Gift guides are something that a surprising amount of people need. Topics can include gift guides for your wife, for him, mother-in-law, dachshund, you name it. Gift guide ideas can include items that you already conveniently happen to have for sale.

Just focus on being helpful in spreading the love this Valentine’s day with your online store, and you’re sure to feel the love back from your customers.

4. Create a Social Media Campaign

Reach out to your followers, customers, and potential buyers on social media with a Valentine’s themed campaign. Get ready to post your promotions, well-wishes, giveaways, and even valentine’s memes across your socials.

Remember that social media is where you go to reach and interact with your target audience.

One great way to interact with your target market is to host giveaways on social media. For instance, some brands are known to encourage their customers to use their hashtags or to tag a brand in their posts for a chance to win some free merch. Having people use your hashtag and having your followers tag you in their post is a great way to promote your brand and online store this Valentine’s day.

5. Don’t Forget the Singles

There are many kinds of love worth celebrating aside from romantic love, which means that you don’t have to focus on couples exclusively.  For instance, the celebration of self-love can be especially rampant and celebrated. For some people, date night can mean a night of self-care and pampering, and according to data gathered by Bing, you should also focus your efforts on single people.

According to this data, single men spend $71 during Valentine’s day, while single women spend approximately $40.

While romantic love may be the obvious focus of this holiday, it’s also important for ecommerce entrepreneurs to note and recognize the fact that Valentine’s day is a day that extends to a wider demographic and that singlehood can be a positive experience. Take this opportunity to promote selflove this valentine’s day by encouraging your single customers to treat themselves.

6. Don’t Forget about Pets

Whether you own a pet or not, it’s not hard to see that people have been getting into some serious fury relationships. Pets are a big part of people’s lives, and we appreciate just how much them seem to love us back unconditionally. So, it’s only natural that some pet-parents out there want to pamper their fur babies on this special day.

The pet industry around the world is pretty serious business and was worth over $60 billion in 2015, a number that has since been increasing as the years roll by.

This valentine’s day, it may very well be a great idea to set up some themed merchandise, like printed pillow cases, pet clothes, or t-shirts for the humans. Toys are also great, and everyone including our pets can enjoy plush toys and sleeping on heart shaped pillows.

7. Hold Store Promotions

Your shoppers are out there always on the look out for a good deals and promotions that help them save, and there are many ways that you can make them feel as though they are getting as much bang for their buck.

One way is to hold a flash sale, which is essentially  a “last-minute deal”. Holding flash sales is a strategy that online retailers use to trigger impulse buying, making them feel that they are getting a special, time-limited deal that they shouldn’t miss out on.

Having a popup store coupon is also a great way to prompt people to make a purchase. Even consider offering free-shipping, which is already a hug incentive for many online shoppers to complete a purchase.

Back To You

Love is something that we all value in our lives, and we aren't simply limited to romantic love. Think of Valentine’s day as the special day that we all collectively celebrate all types of love, including love of friends, family, pets, self-love, and of course, love for romantic partners. Remember, not everyone is in a relationship, but may want to celebrate themselves, singlehood, their pets, and other people that are just as valuable. As an ecommerce store owner, you must help customers celebrate the different kinds of love that they have in their lives.

One of the biggest things you can do for your online customers who seek to celebrate this holiday is to also make gift shopping easy. This is why we encourage creating special product selections, helpful blog posts, and gift guides to help your customers clue into what makes a great gift. Also, don’t forget that people love holiday promotions and great deals, and that’s exactly what they’ll be on the lookout for.

This Valentine’s day, let’s spread the love and show some appreciation for our customers by helping them celebrate love.

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