Love is in the air, and for eCommerce businesses, that means a great opportunity to boost sales. According to Roy Morgan, Aussies are preparing to spend a record $535 million on Valentine’s Day gifts. Americans? $27.5 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
For eCommerce businesses, Valentine’s Day presents a chance to increase sales, engage customers, and build brand loyalty.
Let's look at some ideas that you can apply to your own Valentine's Day marketing.
1. Create a dedicated Valentine's Day page
Let Valentine’s Day take over your website with a dedicated Valentine’s Day website or page. Make it easy for gift-givers to find exactly what they are looking for.
Most eCommerce platforms make it easy to add a page to your site, and Canva has some amazing tools to create new product imagery with Valentine’s Day themes in mind.
The Iconic has mastered this approach with its curated gift categories and seamless shopping experience. Plus they have a special Valentine’s Day webpage.
DIY it
- Create a collection page and group into relevant gift categories
- Create Valentine’s themed banners and product imagery - check out Canva's Free Mockup Generator for product imagery
2. Design Valentine's Day bundles
Take inspiration from Sugarwish’s Cupidgram campaign which lets recipients personalise their own Valentine’s treats. Whilst this may not be something you can implement this year, there are other ways to use existing products to align with the love vibes.
If you don’t have Valentine’s Day specific packaging or products like Sugarwish, you can also easily create bundles of your products that make sense for Valentine’s Day.
DIY it
- Bundle complementary products
- Offer free gift wrapping
3. Gift with purchase
Gift your customers a little something extra to share the love around. Adding a small gift or an extra discount for Valentine’s Day goes a long way.
Even a small gesture, goes a long way here. You can use leftover stock, old stock or even a small 5% discount to encourage people to make a purchase at this time of year… and not use up too much for your marketing budget.
DIY it
- Add an extra gift to a select group of products for a limited amount of time
- Add an extra discount to a certain Valentine’s related product
4. Set up a VALDAY10 promo code
Most eCommerce platforms let you create promo codes easily. So, why not give your customers or subscribers an extra 10% off?
Either pick and choose who gets the discount to create even more loyalty, say only customers who have purchased before, or those that have spent over $100 or even first time purchasers. Alternatively you could send an email out to all your customers with a 10% off promo code.
DIY it
- Give your previous purchasers 10% off their next purchase
- Send promo codes to your most valuable customers for them to share
4. Set up a VALDAY10 promo code
Most eCommerce platforms let you create promo codes easily. So, why not give your customers or subscribers an extra 10% off?
Either pick and choose who gets the discount to create even more loyalty, say only customers who have purchased before, or those that have spent over $100 or even first time purchasers. Alternatively you could send an email out to all your customers with a 10% off promo code.
DIY it
- Give your previous purchasers 10% off their next purchase
- Send promo codes to your most valuable customers for them to share
5. Two-for-one offers
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a two-for-one offer. This is great if you’re selling services and experiences that are made better with two people.
It is also a great marketing tool to create content on social media and highlight the offer. It ultimately is a cost to you but it means that you are widening your community and being seen by more people.
DIY it
- Set up a two-for-one offer on select services until February 14
- Set up a two-for-one offer on select experiences for all of Valentine’s Day
6. Create Founder or Employee-generated content
We’re seeing Founder-generated content and Employee-generated content all over our social media. Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to create this style of content for your business.
You can share personal stories about your business, the things you love about your business or the things you love about your products or services. The best part, it won’t cost you anything!
DIY it
- Create behind-the-scenes content on the day across your social media channels
- Share the products or services you love
7. Leverage user-generated content
Encourage your loyal existing customers and followers to jump on the love bandwagon. Ask them to share their experiences with your brand. The benefit of doing this on Valentine’s Day is that you don’t have to have Valentine’s Day specific products or services to do so. You can simply ask your followers what they love about your business or products. Or who the special someone in their life is that they would gift your product to.
Godiva Chocolates is a great example of showcasing product-specific content in the lead up to Valentine’s Day. Whilst they have specific Valentine’s Day products to share, you can still do this with bundles so you don’t have to create all new products.
DIY it
- Run a competition and get your customers to share their funniest, most romantic or even most embarrassing Valentine’s Day story
- Create a brand specific hashtag to keep track of UGC posts
8. Spark interest with flash sales
Limited-time offers are great all year. However, they can create a lot of interest during Valentine’s Day as you can have very specific time frames.
People know about the date and often have a need to buy a gift so having a surprise flash sale could work well. Great for those that may have forgotten to buy a gift, you can use this to your advantage with sales on February 14 only.
DIY it
- Create storewide sales or discounts on the products you love the most for Valentine’s Day only
- Have a flash sale for 14 hours or even 14 minutes on your 14 favourite products to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th
9. Extras to show you care about your customers
Valentine’s Day is a great way to shower extra love on your customers. There are a million ways to do this that are easy and cost-effective.
Yes, it requires a little extra to be taken from your marketing budget, but when the results can be an increase in positive reviews, and repeat orders, it’s totally worth it. Plus you may even find that those customers are inclined to talk more about you on their own social platforms. This could then even lead to new customers finding your brand. This approach is like thinking of your current customers as micro-influencers ready to share their love of your brand with their community… all for the cost of a Valentine’s Day card.
DIY it
- Add a Valentine’s Day card in any order made on February 14
- Pick random orders throughout the day and add a little extra gift to the order
10. Don't forget the singles
Yes, Galentine’s Day does exist (on February 13, if you want to know). This day should be part of your marketing campaign but you can also celebrate singles on Valentine’s Day.
If it fits your brand, you could even create a fun anti-Valentine’s Day campaign. Even better, focus on self-love.
DIY it
- Create self-care packages
- Offer “treat yourself” discounts
Need help spreading the love?
At Refuel Creative, we're a digital marketing agency that is passionate about helping businesses create marketing campaigns that connect and convert. If you’re not quite sure what digital strategy will work best for your ecommerce business, we’re here to help.
