Valentine’s Day Checklist: Everything you need for a successful sales season

February is here, and so is Valentine’s Day.

This is a golden opportunity for you to start boosting your sales, as according to NRF, US consumers spent $21.8 billion on gifts, and 38% of them chose to shop online.

Equip yourself with the necessary tools to start a successful sale season!

1. Analyze customer demands

Last year’s data will be what you can rely on to make the right decisions this year. Use analytics tools to understand what customers need and how they behave, then you can prepare the best strategies.

Tips

• Find the peak time that customers often look for their products
• Identify bestsellers and favorite items of each customer group

Recommended tools: Google Tag Manager/Google Analytics, Better Reports

2. Send a gift guide via email newsletter

Help customers find their gift ideas right from the start. Introduce what your store offers and guide them through the catalog first. Do this early and you’ll be ahead of the game.

Tips

• Attract more newsletter subscribers by placing popups across the website
• Feature the guide in forms of blog posts or PDF version for easy download

Recommended tools: Newsletter Popup, Better Blog

3. Make it easy to search for products

When searching for products, it is important that you help customers navigate through your site quickly and feature the top categories clearly. For newcomers, this experience is essential to help them not be overwhelmed by a great number of products.

Tips

• Create a specific page for Valentine gifts and place it at the top of the categories menu
• Add a filter for Valentine’s Day

4. Be active on all channels

By saying all channels, we mean it: everything from your website to any social channels you have. Use Valentine’s Day theme in all touchpoints to make sure that people can identify the upcoming event in the simplest way possible.

Examples

• Set the vibes on social media posts by using hashtags and themed images
• Embed what’s happening on your social media to your website

Recommended tools: Social Share, Facebook Plugin, Instagram Feed, Twitter Widget

5. Suggest bundles and related products

A win-win situation where customers can save time finding perfect gifts and you can sell more than just one item? Product recommendations are what you need to use. Find what suits your shoppers the most, and what is popular during this time, then recommend to them when they are searching for other products.

Examples

• Feature hot bundles on a specific page
• Suggest Valentine-related items on each product page

Recommended tools: Automatic Related Products, Frequently Bought Together, Who Bought This Also Bought

6. Run promotional campaigns

A promotional campaign is a must if you want to drive more sales. Shoppers tend to look for offers during these special days. Make it relevant to this day and outstanding enough to attract more customers.

Campaign examples

• Buy One Get One using special codes in email (create easy-to-remember codes: VALENTINE23, LOVE1402, etc.)
• Up to 50% OFF on hottest items - plus a 10% OFF code sitewide

Recommended tools: Special Promotions, Better Coupon, Multiple Coupons, Promo Bar

7. Encourage timely decisions

Customers can save a great deal on your offer, but they still hesitate to complete the purchase. Either they are not in need of it now, or they do not see the limited opportunities. That’s where FOMO should be applied to encourage immediate decisions.

Tips

• Set a countdown timer for the sale campaign
• Set a countdown timer on each product page of on-sale items

Recommended tools: Daily Deal, Countdown Timer

8. Offer free gifts and delivery

Free items and free delivery are like a cherry on top of the cake - an extra point that makes people want to choose you instead of your rivals. What you need to do is highlight this special offer in noticeable places.

Offer examples

• Buy 3 and more to get free delivery
• Free delivery for any order over $200
• Pay with your credit card and get free shipping
• Buy 3 T-shirts and Get 1 Free

Recommended tools: Shipping Restrictions, Free Shipping Bar, Free Gifts

9. Loyalty scheme

A loyalty program should be a part of your campaign, as when the sale event ends, what is left is how you can convert those new shoppers into loyal customers. Start simple, make it relevant to this holiday to attract more members, and offer them long-time benefits to maintain a good relationship.

Tips

• Create an easy-to-understand program with milestones to achieve
• Give a private code that guarantees extra sale for members
• Allow special catalog view only for members
• Reward customers with more points/vouchers if completing more purchases during a certain time

Recommended tools: Loyalty Program, Magento 2 Reward Points, Milestone, Membership, Catalog Permission

10. Collect information via a survey

Listen to your customers by offering them an opportunity to raise their voices through a quick survey, which can help you sharpen your next sales accordingly.

Tips

• Find where they start exploring and where they close the deal
• Ask for their feedback to learn how you can upgrade your service next time
• Keep it short and sweet (and offer some small rewards) to increase the completion ratio

Recommended tools: Custom Form

Whatever you want to offer customers on this day, remember to put customers first to understand their needs and create programs they are eager to join. If you want to share with us more ideas or need support for any extension, don’t hesitate to contact us.