Valentines Day Promotion: 20 Deal Ideas for Your Customers
Do you need some Valentine’s day sale ideas for your customers?
Valentine’s Day is coming up, so we wanted to remind retailers about what they can do to spread love and happiness. You don’t have to be in a Valentine’s-related industry like flowers or gifts – take time for your customers.
The Valentine’s Day celebration is just around the corner, and you know what that means: it’s time to show your customers how much they mean to you. Whether Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday or Friday this year, there are plenty of ways for business owners like yourself to go above and beyond in showing their love.
Here are some Valentine’s Day sale ideas that can be implemented with little to no time and effort, including: – Giving away a prize for the best original poem and offering an exclusive drink at your restaurant on Feb 14th only.
1. Discover valentines day sale ideas and collaboration opportunities.
If you feel like business is slow after the Christmas season, Valentine’s Day could be just what your store needs to get back on track. It’s important not to neglect this holiday because it’s one of the first consumer holidays of the year.
There are many opportunities to make money this holiday season. If you sell anything related to Valentine’s Day, now is the time to stock up on inventory.
There are plenty of other ways to show your appreciation. For example, you can give them jewelry or a card.
Consumers are not just looking for gifts. They’re also spending their money on experiences such as dinner at a romantic restaurant or movie night.
If you want to make your Valentine’s Day promotion a success, consider partnering with local restaurants and theaters. Offer show tickets or gift certificates as part of the deal.
2. Create winning Valentine’s Day promotional concepts.
Speaking of which, according to research by the NRF, nearly 49% of consumers said they would spend more if they encountered “an excellent sale or promotion.”
Your customers are looking for a bargain, so it might be worth having some promotions on Valentine’s Day to draw people into your store and increase sales.
A successful marketing campaign starts with a solid offer. To create an effective one, you need to know your goals and products and what customers want.
An excellent way to motivate sales is by using a BOGO offer for slow-moving stock, but if you want to get more people in the store and boost sales, then offering percentage or dollar amount offs might be your best bet.
Whatever the case, figure out what kind of promotion will work best for your products and customers. Once you have a plan, start implementing it to get more sales.
3. Purchase Valentine’s Day-themed products.
It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; Valentine’s Day is a great time to make some extra cash. So think creatively about your inventory and merchandising in the coming weeks.
If you’re a retailer, some steps can be taken to ensure Valentine’s Day is your busiest Day ofdaye the year. For starters, it might help if you stock up on items relevant for the season and think about how these products will drive sales.
4. Create Valentine’s Day section on your website or store.
Retailers should put all of their Valentine’s Day merchandise in one place if they’re selling a lot. This will make it easier for customers to find what they need and come back more often.
5. Position your products as a one-of-a-kind, non-traditional Valentine’s Day present.
This may sound like a crazy idea, but hear out. If you don’t sell Valentine’s Day-related products, try marketing them for V-Day anyway! Don’t forget to look at what BirchboxMan is doing: they’re positioning their product as an original and non-cliche gift instead of trying to push the typical candies that are always given on Feb 14th.
6. Encourage your customers to spoil themselves.
One of the best valentines day sale ideas to promote your products for Valentine’s Day is by encouraging shoppers to buy themselves a gift. If you don’t have any romantic or otherwise unique items in stock, this idea will help them get something they’ll love.
7. Don’t forget about the pets of your customers.
Pets are becoming more and more popular. In 2020, 27% of people who celebrated Valentine’s Day bought gifts for their pets- up from 17% in 2010.
People’s love for their pets is never-ending, so it should come as no surprise that pet-related businesses are making a killing during February. Make sure to include your furry friends in any Valentine’s Day marketing and promotions this year.
8. Find a Valentine’s Day angle for your product.
Why not go ahead and get your products in the spirit of Valentine’s Day? Apple has a great example from last year.
Apple knows that love is in the air when it comes to electronics.
9. Valentine’s Day *experiences* should be promoted.
The NRF found that the number one gift people want when it comes to Valentine’s Day is an experience. This makes sense, considering how in-demand experiences are right now.
Another valentines day sale idea to spice up your Valentine’s Day is to try offering some extra services or experiences that you usually don’t provide. 3% of respondents would love to receive one from a company they do business with.
A few years ago, The Therapy Centers in Lexington, KY, created the perfect Valentine’s Day package consisting of an hour massage and body scrub.
It’s a good idea to consider that Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you can find ways for your store to offer pampering and self-care activities to cater to this theme.
10. Provide Valentine’s Day treat to your employees.
Here are some valentines day sale ideas for your employee. Just be sure to get it before the 14th!
Showing your appreciation for a job well done will always be appreciated by the person who did it. But, if you do so and they are happy with their work, the chances are that they will show this happiness off in front of others.
11. Organize and create an event
Valentine’s Day is a great time to throw an event for your customers. Why not offer them free food and drinks, as well as discounts on Valentine’s gifts?
That’s what NRG Salon Spa in Ontario did. In 2013, they threw a “Be Mine” customer appreciation event that included drinks, desserts, and flowers to make it feel like Valentine’s Day all year round.
Try hosting a fashion show and Valentine’s Day sale if you’re an apparel retailer.
If you’re an apparel retailer, maybe hold a fashion show and put on your own Valentine’s Day sale.
12. Be romantic while remaining true to yourself.
To generate a heart-warming feeling, consider what makes your company unique and incorporate those aspects into the “awww” factor. This is much more effective than just giving out teddy bears or candy hearts if these things don’t represent anything you do.
The next time you want to make your partner feel special, try surprising them with something that makes sense for who they are.
13. Celebrate many types of love.
Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love. Some people celebrate the familial and spiritual type of love during this time, so don’t forget to mention those types as well.
It’s not just about the money.
14. Gender-specific marketing
Remember that men and women have different purchasing habits during Valentine’s season. Men, for instance, tend to spend more than women. According to a study by SurveyMonkey, “men reported that they’d spend $100 on their significant other, while women said they’ll spend $50. And when it comes to how much men and women expect their significant other to spend on them? Men expect to receive gifts totaling $5, and women expect $50.”
When you are preparing for Valentine’s Day, make sure to send different emails or newsletters based on gender. For example, if your marketing strategy is through emailing people with a newsletter about the Day of love and romance, then segment it by male-female recipients so that each person gets their message.
If you have any data on your site visitors, make sure to tailor your landing pages by displaying different recommendations and content for the two genders.
15. Incorporate humor.
There are always a lot of jokes about Valentine’s Day, so you should be able to use them. It will make your fans and customers laugh if you poke fun at the holiday.
If you’re looking for some laughs, comedians are the way to go. You can find their clips or jokes on your Facebook page or blog.
In addition to this hilarious card, you can check out Someecards.com and share some of the other funny cards they have available for Valentine’s Day.
16. Before approaching a consumer, do some research on them.
For Valentine’s Day, tell your associates to avoid all the obligatory happy talk and instead try to understand how each customer is feeling before approaching them.
There are times when a consumer’s mood dictates how they will act in an environment. If that person is having a bad day, it’s not always best to approach them cheerfully.
For this Valentine’s Day, make sure to notice how your customers are feeling. If they seem happy and excited about the purchase, it is okay to chat with them.
It’s important to be sympathetic when someone is in a bad mood. Don’t rush them and give them some space if they’re not talking.
Be polite and let them know that you will help if they need anything.
17. Direct shoppers to the ideal Valentine’s Day gift.
Here’s another interesting tidbit from the NRF study: according to their survey, 36.4% of respondents “indicated they’d be willing to spend a little more if they found the perfect gift for someone.” This tells us that while getting a fantastic price is a significant factor in people’s buying decisions, many consumers would still pay extra if they found the perfect gift.
It’s up to retailers to ensure that their customers get the right present. This starts with paying attention and being attuned to what your customer likes.
When stocking your store, the most important thing you can do is make sure that the products are all on-hand and ready for purchase. You should also know what type of customer will come in, so it’s helpful if you know their shopping habits.
Another way to lead people to the perfect present is through gift guides. Consider creating a Valentine’s Day gift guide that categorizes items by giftee (i.e., “For Him” or “For Her), budget (i.e. “Gifts under $25, $50, 100”), or even category (i.e., “Tech Gifts” or “Jewelry”)
Are you looking for some Valentine’s Day gift inspiration? Macy’s has you covered. The retailer compiled a list of items to make it easy to find the perfect present.
The design is on point, and it’s well-organized.
18. Request that your employees nominate noteworthy customers (then give them a special treat)
Instead of looking at sales data, identify your best customers in more qualitative ways. This will help you understand what they want and how much it is worth when a sale has been made.
So, if you’re looking for a way to thank your customers on Valentine’s Day, maybe Expedia can give you some inspiration.
Egencia, a leading travel agency in the UK and US, had their staff develop reasons why they thought customers should receive Starbucks gift cards. They then let agents from across the country nominate deserving people.
Egencia was not satisfied with just sending their customers Starbucks gift cards. Instead, they took the time to let them know why they were nominated and give them some other great prizes too.
“I had just planned on reaching out to the customer and not sharing why they were nominated,”
Cate Vanasse, Egencia’s Senior Marketing Manager, told Marketing Sherpa.
“But as I started to look through the reasons why travel consultants nominated someone, it was so touching that we just knew we had to put that in front of the customer.”
One of the things that Egencia did well was to make their customers feel special. Customers liked how they were treated, and it got them a lot of great feedback.
19. Gift baskets and boxes should be carefully curated.
This year, give your customers a hand with gift shopping by selling them gifts in packages. Now is the perfect time to get started on these easy-to-handle and thoughtful bundles so that people can find what they’re looking for quickly.
20. Contribute to a charitable organization or a community group.
Here’s a suggestion: show your customers how much you appreciate them by supporting an organization they love. Pop & Ice Cream, for example, is doing this with its support of the Wounded Warrior Project.
“At Popcorn & Ice Cream, we’re all about showing customers the love all year round, and that includes Valentine’s Day!”
says Hillary Berman, Founder and Small Business Fanatic at the company.
“For the past two years, we’ve sent our clients, as well as company partners and friends, a box of Girl Scout Cookies with a note wishing them a ‘sweet’ Valentine’s Day. They love the surprise and that we’re supporting our local troop at the same time.”
Please give your best customers a token by sourcing it from a charity or a group close to their hearts. Doing this will enable you to do two things simultaneously: give the customer something they’ll love and support an organization that deserves recognition.
As a bonus, use Valentine’s Day to assess your consumer connections.
Valentine’s is a great season to remind businesses that they’re actually in a relationship with their customers. As Eoghan McCabe, co-founder, and CEO of Intercom, puts it, “Many people use this time of year to reflect on their relationships with those most important to them- their loved ones. It’s also a good time for businesses to think about their relationships with those most valuable to them — their customers!”
One of his top tips for doing this is to treat each customer as a unique individual. “You wouldn’t talk to a new girl/boyfriend the same way as the one you’ve dated for years, and you wouldn’t talk to that quiet accountant like you would that partying yoga instructor. Likewise, with your customers, don’t use a one-size-fits-all communication strategy; Click To Tweet
personalize your customer communications based on their history with your company, use of your product, and other factors.”
Can’t put these into action straight away? Save them for another occasion.
If you want to make your Valentine’s Day a little more unique, these tips can easily be recycled for other occasions. You could have an event that revolves around just about any holiday or unusual situation, and there is never really a wrong time to surprise or delight employees.
So, if you’re reading this on Valentine’s Day or Christmas Day – which are both great holidays for showing your love to customers- always keep the customer experience in mind and find ways to show them how much they mean.