How to boost your online sales this Valentine’s Day
What is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14th each year and is one of the many key retail events where online merchants can see their profits rise – with the right approach.
As a day to express love and affection to others, typically through the exchange of gifts, for merchants there is a lucrative opportunity: in the US alone, $23.9 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day. The growth also isn’t just in the categories you expect, such as flowers, chocolates or jewelry, as in recent years electronics, personalized clothing and even gifts for pets have seen significant rises.
With 38% of shoppers buying gifts online last Valentine’s Day, there is a huge opportunity for eCommerce stores in 2023 to find the perfect customer to fall in love with their products.
Where is Valentine’s Day celebrated around the world?
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other places in Europe. It is also celebrated elsewhere around the world, in places such as Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In some countries, Valentine’s Day is a public holiday, while in others it is a more low-key celebration.
While the holiday is widely recognized in many parts of the world, it is not universally celebrated in the same way. Some cultures have their own traditions and holidays that are focused on love and relationships, and these may be celebrated instead of or in addition to Valentine’s Day.
Examples of alternative celebrations include:
- Argentina – Week of sweetness, celebrated in July
- Wales – St.Dwynwen’s Day, celebrated on the 25th January
- Korea – Days of love, celebrated on the 14th of every month
- Ghana – National chocolate day, celebrated on the 14th of February
- Bulgaria – Day of winemakers, celebrated on the 14th of February
- Spain – Feast of Saint Dionysus, celebrated on the 9th of October
- China – Sisters’ meal festival, celebrated on the 15th of March
- Romania – Dragobete, celebrated on the 24th of February
- Estonia – Sobrapaev, celeberated on the 14th of February
- Brazil – Dia dos Namorados, celebrated on the 12th of June
When is Valentine’s Day in 2023?
In 2023, Valentine Day will occur on the 14th of February.
Our top tips for selling online during Valentine’s Day in 2023
Selling products online during Valentine’s Day can be a great opportunity to reach a larger audience and boost your sales. Here are some tips to help you make the most of the holiday season:
- Start planning early: Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday, so it’s important to start planning your promotions and campaigns well in advance. This will allow you to get your marketing materials ready and to give your customers time to make their purchases. We recommend starting in January to ensure that there is sufficient time for prospective customers to find you.
- Offer special promotions and deals: Consider offering discounts or special promotions to encourage your customers to buy. This could include free shipping, discounted prices, or bundle deals.
- Create a sense of urgency: You can create a sense of urgency by offering limited-time promotions or by highlighting the fact that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. This can encourage customers to make their purchases sooner rather than later. Implementing countdowns on your webstore is a great way of generating FOMO (fear of missing out) and more sales.
- Use social media to promote your products: Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are great tools for promoting your products to a larger audience. Consider creating posts about your Valentine’s Day promotions and use relevant hashtags to reach a wider audience. The hashtags we highly recommend for getting found are #valentinesday, #love, #valentinegift and #happyvalentinesday
- Personalize your marketing efforts: Personalization can go a long way in making your customers feel special. Consider sending personalized emails or creating customized marketing materials to show your customers that you value their business.
- Offer gift wrapping and gift cards: Make it easy for your customers to gift your products by offering gift wrapping and gift cards. This can be especially appealing to those who are shopping for last-minute gifts.
- Create a new category of products on your website: Create a new ‘Valentine’s Day’ product category or ‘Gifts for him’ or ‘her’. Not only will this improve your SEO for Valentine’s related keywords, but it will make it simpler for your customers to find the right products.
- Make sure your website is ready for the holiday season: Ensure that your website is functioning properly and is easy to navigate. This will make it faster for your customers to find and purchase your products.
- Increase website localization: Your buyers will be flocking to your website from all over the world. Make sure you support multiple languages, currencies and payment methods so, you’ll never miss another purchase.
- Invest in the right checkout experience: Easy to implement and navigate checkouts will increase your conversion rate and ensure that your customers keep coming back, year after year.
By following these tips, you can effectively sell your products online during Valentine’s Day and increase your sales.
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