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Jan 25, 2024 | 16 minute read
written by Seamus Roddy
For brands, Valentine’s Day represents a major marketing and commerce opportunity. Last year, consumers spent about $26 billion on Valentine’s Day, making it one of the biggest days of commerce in the calendar. This year, commerce indicators suggest an even bigger year of consumer spending.
Fresh off a heavy-spending holiday season, brands – particularly those that sell online – have the opportunity to create urgency and excitement about Valentine’s Day and their products. Read on to get (and see in action) Valentine’s Day marketing ideas that boost eCommerce conversion and revenue. You'll also see how Elastic Path's family of composable products can bring your Valentine's Day marketing ideas to life and deliver business-boosting commerce performance, conversions, and revenue.
The granddaddy of all Valentine’s Day marketing ideas is Valentine’s Day promotions. Promotions are always a popular marketing and merchandising tactic, and Valentine’s Day is the first holiday after New Year’s. That means it is often the first occasion merchandisers and marketers have to offer promotions that build on seasonality to spur urgency and excitement for buyers. Popular Valentine’s Day promotions include:
Valentine’s Day promo codes are when you offer a discount code for certain products or services. The promo code can be time-bound close to the holiday or used in perpetuity – whatever meets your marketing and merchandising needs. Valentine’s Day promo code ideas range from sitewide discounts on all products or a loyalty promo code sent to only your most frequent, high-value buyers.
With flash sales, you run a time-limited sale on Valentine’s Day or the days and weeks immediately preceding or succeeding it. Flash sales manufacture urgency and excite buyers, and can boost AOV and revenue.
Elastic Path Product Experience Manager allows your merchandisers to launch a flash sale in minutes and without development work or sending a ticket to IT. Watch a time-boxed flash sale created in minutes with no dev work, coding, or complications using Product Experience Manager.
A popular Valentine’s Day promotion idea is to offer deals on bundled products. In this instance, you bundle two or more products together, such as flowers and chocolates, and sell them at a discounted rate. Bundles boost AOV, clear surplus inventory, and contribute to increased revenue.
As with flash sales, you can create, launch, and manage discount bundles fast and without code when you use Product Experience Manager. Watch to see a business user set up a promotion in minutes.
Valentine’s Day is about appreciation, and one promotional idea on Valentine’s is to provide a gift with a purchase. This small gift or extra service shows your customers that you care, and is likely to boost conversion rates for customers looking for add-ons and extras.
Does your brand offer loyalty points or a loyalty rewards program? Offer extra loyalty points and rewards during the Valentine’s Day period to boost customer loyalty and give consumers a reason to purchase.
Yes, running loyalty programs is another Valentine's season marketing tactic unlocked by Product Experience Manager. In five merchandiser-friendly steps, you can:
Depending on your business, it may make sense to release limited-edition products or services exclusively for Valentine’s Day and the month of February. This way, you demonstrate a commitment to customers’ current needs – and capitalize on general Valentine’s buzz.
Want to encourage online shopping around Valentine’s Day? Provide free shipping for gifts or services related to Valentine’s Day – or for every product on your site during the run-up to Valentine’s. This way, you give customers a token of appreciation, and hopefully sell more of your stock.
The promotion so famous it’s known to marketers and merchandisers across the world by a four-letter acronym: BOGO. Buy one, get one (free or discounted) is a legendary discount and promotion that is easily applied to Valentine’s Day. You can offer BOGO discounts on products related to Valentine’s or everything on your site.
Offering themed add-ons to regular products, like special packaging or customization options for Valentine's Day, offers a fun marketing and merchandising twist that engages customers.
Customized product bundles offer a unique way to cater to the specific needs and preferences of customers, especially during occasions like Valentine's Day. For instance, a manufacturer could offer a "Build Your Own Valentine's Day Bundle," where customers can select from a range of products such as custom machine parts, industrial tools, or office supplies to create a personalized package. This approach not only provides a tailored shopping experience but also encourages larger orders, as customers are incentivized to add more items to their bundle to create the perfect Valentine's gift for their business or loved ones.
Traditionally, brands that use Shopify to power commerce have been locked out of strong bundling capabilities. But this Valentine's season, Elastic Path Composer's Integrations Hub has a Shopify integration that makes it possible to augment a Shopify solution with Elastic Path Product Experience Manager’s leading bundle capabilities.
Learn more about this integration helps deliver on the Unplatform™ – a gradual approach to solving commerce problems that doesn’t require an expensive replatform. Below, you can see the integration in action.
Subscription offers are an excellent strategy to secure ongoing customer engagement and provide continuous value, making them especially appealing around Valentine's Day. For instance, a business that sells a specialized training platform for industrial skills could introduce a "Valentine's Learn Together" offer. This promotion could allow customers to purchase a yearly subscription with an added bonus month free or at a discounted rate, encouraging long-term commitment and enhancing the perceived value of the subscription during the season of love and partnership.
You don't need custom development work or a long integration lag to launch a subscription offer around Valentine's Day or any other part of the year. We have a business-ready solution that combines core commerce capabilities, complete subscription management, Stripe for payments, Postmark for email services, and an analytics dashboard just for subscription businesses. You can access the demo and eliminate the complexity of launching a subscription service here.
Valentine's themed educational content, such as blogs, videos, and infographics, can be a creative way to engage customers. For example, a manufacturer or distributor could offer a webinar series titled "Building Lasting Relationships with Your Supply Chain this Valentine's," focusing on strategies to enhance supplier relations and customer satisfaction. This not only positions the brand as a thought leader in its industry, but also leverages the Valentine's theme to offer timely, relevant content that resonates with the professional challenges and goals of their clientele.
Valentine's gift cards present a flexible and appealing option for customers, especially in sectors where products or services are highly configurable and specific to individual needs. For instance, a business in the industrial supplies sector could offer customizable Valentine's gift cards, allowing the recipient to choose from a range of essential products or services. This approach not only simplifies the buying process for the giver but also ensures that the recipient gets exactly what they need, strengthening customer loyalty and satisfaction through a thoughtful, personalized shopping experience.
Nordstrom, a popular retailer, offers B2C gift cards personalized for Valentine’s Day.
Interactive social media campaigns are an excellent way to engage and connect with customers during Valentine's season. For example, a brand could run a "Share the Love" photo contest, where customers are encouraged to post pictures of their favorite products in use, along with a short story about why they love the product. Participants could tag the company and use a special Valentine's-themed hashtag to enter, with the best stories winning a special discount or a featured spot on the company's social media and website. This not only boosts engagement and brand visibility but also fosters a sense of community and customer appreciation around the brand.
Our customer, luxury accessory membership club Vivrelle, has posted a Valentine’s Day style guide on social media to highlight accessories available to members.
Customer appreciation features are a meaningful way to strengthen relationships and build loyalty, particularly around Valentine's Day. For instance, a B2B brand could implement a "Customer Love" spotlight on their website, featuring stories of how their products or services have positively impacted their customers' operations. They could also offer exclusive Valentine's promotions or early access to new products to their most loyal customers. This not only acknowledges and rewards customer loyalty but also showcases real-world applications and testimonials, reinforcing the brand's value in a personal, relatable way.
Strong email marketing and SMS marketing strategies help maximize sales during Valentine's season and throughout the year. Valentine's themed email campaigns can effectively convey warmth and personalization, fostering a deeper connection with your customer base. For example, a brand in the digital products and subscriptions sector could send out a beautifully designed email with the subject line "Fall in Love with [Product/Service] This Valentine's," offering exclusive content, tips, or discounts. The email could also highlight success stories or testimonials, demonstrating the impact of their offerings and how they can “enrich” or “romanticize” the professional lives of the recipients. This approach not only capitalizes on the Valentine's theme to grab attention but also delivers value, reinforcing customer relationships and driving engagement.
For example, Taco Bell recently ran an email marketing campaign with a Valentine’s Day theme promoting their delivery partnership with GrubHub.
Cross-company promotions during the Valentine's season can be a strategic move to tap into new customer bases and add value to existing offerings. For example, a brand in the consumables industry could partner with a company in the digital subscriptions sector to offer a "Delight and Learn" package, combining a special selection of products with a short-term subscription service. This collaboration allows both companies to cross-promote their products, potentially doubling their reach and providing customers with a uniquely appealing package that stands out during the Valentine's period.
Hosting a virtual Valentine's Day event can be a fantastic way to engage with customers and provide them with unique value. For example, a brand specializing in digital products for professional development could organize a "Valentine's Day Virtual Networking Event" for industry professionals. This event could feature expert talks on industry trends, breakout sessions for networking, and a virtual "speed dating" segment for businesses to quickly introduce themselves and their needs, fostering new connections and collaborations. This not only provides real value by facilitating professional relationships but also leverages the Valentine's theme to add a fun, personal touch to the business networking environment.
Gift guides or product recommendations can be a highly effective way to guide customers to the perfect purchase, especially during special occasions like Valentine's Day. For instance, a B2B brand could create a "Valentine's Day Gift Guide for the Industry," featuring a curated selection of products ranging from high-quality tools to safety equipment, all aimed at making the professional lives of their partners more efficient and enjoyable. By categorizing recommendations based on customer personas or specific needs, the company not only simplifies the shopping experience but also demonstrates a deep understanding and care for its customers' unique preferences and requirements.
Target, for example, offers an entire section of its website dedicated to Valentine’s Day products, such as outfits, boxes, and stuffed animals.
You don't have to be one of the country's biggest retailers to offer a Valentine-specific online shopping experience. Elastic Path CX Studio enables you to rapidly launch storefronts and landing pages that drive conversions and revenue.
CX Studio's no-code visual editor, A/B testing capabilities, data-driven personalization, and business-user friendly set-up makes it fast and easy to launch holiday-themed landing pages that drive real business-results.
Releasing customer case studies around Valentine's Day can showcase the successful application of your products or services in a way that resonates with the themes of care and success. For example, a manufacturing brand could publish a case study titled "Engineering Love: How Our Client Boosted Efficiency and Satisfaction This Valentine's," detailing how their product made it easier to handle the Valentine’s rush. This not only highlights the client's success and satisfaction but also aligns the company's offerings with the themes of love and care, emphasizing the positive impact their services have on their clients' operations and, by extension, their clients' customer relations.
Showcase the adaptability and strengths of your products with interactive product demos. For instance, a B2B software provider could host a "Love Your Software Plan" virtual demo, where they walk through how their products can be tailored to meet the unique needs of different businesses, just like finding the perfect match on Valentine's Day. This interactive session could include real-time Q&A, personalized scenario walkthroughs, and special Valentine's discounts for attendees, making it an engaging, informative, and value-driven experience.
Personalized video messages provide a unique and intimate way to connect with customers, particularly during a relationship-focused holiday like Valentine's Day. For instance, a brand could create personalized video messages for their top clients, expressing gratitude for their partnership and highlighting how their products have contributed to their client's success. These videos could also introduce new features or services and offer an exclusive Valentine's promotion, combining a personal touch with valuable business insights and incentives. This reinforces customer relationships and demonstrates a deep commitment to the brand’s clients’ growth and satisfaction.
Direct mail can be a powerful tool to capture attention and provide a tangible connection with your customers, especially when digital channels are saturated. For instance, a B2B brand could send out high-quality, branded Valentine's cards to their key accounts, including a personalized message and a unique QR code leading to a custom landing page with a special Valentine's offer or exclusive content. This approach not only stands out in a sea of digital communications but also creates a memorable, individual experience, reinforcing the value and personal touch that the client places on each of its business relationships.
In D2C retail, diamond store Zales often sends Valentine’s Day themed direct mail with special offers and product information.
Overall, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for your marketers and merchandisers to launch online, in-store, and hybrid commerce experiences. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day promotions or subscriptions, email campaigns or gifts cards – or maybe even all of the above – your brand should use Valentine’s Day to boost consumer engagement.
Want to offer Valentine's Day marketing and merchandising experiences that boost your brand and deliver revenue fast? Check out Elastic Path's full suite of composable products to see how you can create, optimize, and launch personalized customer experiences – and give your business users the tools to maximize revenue.
Start building the commerce experience your unique business needs with Elastic Path.
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