Valentine’s Day: 5 E-commerce Tips to Increase Your Sales

As the fourth largest retail holiday in the UK, Valentine’s Day is more than just a day of romance. It is one of the most important moments of the year for brands and retailers. This event should be planned carefully to ensure your products are highlighted. Customer experience is key to differentiating your brand from competitors. Here are Lengow’s key tips to boost your sales on Valentine’s Day.

Use your newsletter to send a reminder to your customers a few weeks before 14th February. This will be useful to a lot of people, for example, those who do not have enough time to look for a gift, who have a short memory or those who lack inspiration. Don’t forget to adapt your design to the special occasion. 

Add value by suggesting gift ideas. Feature a few of your best products, send your Valentine’s Day gift guides and offer an incentive to buy. Moreover, remember to create a dynamic page setting in order to attract the attention of your customers.

77.9% of the British population is active on social media, so social commerce is an essential lever to promote your products for this retail event. Leverage your social platforms to inspire your customers. If your brand is on Pinterest, make sure you create boards consolidating all of your Valentine’s gift ideas, for Him and for Her. By offering a list of products that have been specifically chosen to suit your target audience, you multiply your chance of converting visits to sales. Instagram Stories give you room to show off your products. TikTok offers different advertising features from In-Feed Ads to Brand Takeover Ads. Finally, Live Shopping is particularly suitable for the beauty sector, representing many preferred gifts “for Her”.

Make it easy for your customers to find their ideal gifts. Create a showcase “for Him” and “for Her”. Segment your products by category, price and size to make site navigation as easy as possible. Highlight your best selling products and create a “top sellers” for under £XX section… remember people may still be paying off Christmas bills, so their budget might not be so high. 49% of US consumers said they would spend more if they encountered “a really good sale or promotion”.

Some people tend to order at the last minute. To differentiate yourself from competitors, you could guarantee the delivery before Valentine’s Day on your website and mention it clearly in your email campaign. It will reassure your customer base and help develop customer loyalty over time. Guarantee shipping before the 14th if the products are ordered before a certain date. If you can offer next day delivery for last-minute gifts bought on the 13th, even better!

Bear in mind that not everyone is a great gift buyer. Some products may not be wanted! Make your returns policy clear and offer gift receipts so other halves can return products without being aware of the price. 

Customer experience has to be your main strategy if you are a pure player since it is one of the best ways to create a long-term relationship with your customers online. Periods like Valentine’s Day are ideal moments to implement this. Free themed wrapping and personalised will add a nice touch to your service. You could save time and effort for your customers!

Finally, encourage buyers to share the love by writing a review of the gift they bought or sharing on social media the purchase they made, to inspire other potential buyers.

Image: Laura James – Pexels