Did you know St. Valentine’s Day officially became “the holiday of love” way back in the 1300s? Yep, but it’s come a long way since then…
According to the National Retail Federation:
- eCommerce is now the most popular Valentine’s Day shopping option for consumers
- And Americans spend over $20 BILLION each year on Valentine’s Day gifts!
That’s a lot of scented candles, waffle irons, and beard balms, right?
So how can eCommerce merchants capitalize on this annual romantic cash splash (without splurging on paid ads)? Glad you asked!
Here’s 5 simple (revenue-generating) email marketing strategies you can put into action right now as we countdown the days to Valentine’s Day…
1 – Show your audience you’ve got their back with a last-minute gift idea (e-Gift Cards)
Is there anything better than the gift of choice?
The great thing about digital gift cards is that you can promote them right up until Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th). With instant delivery there’s obviously no shipping date cut-offs to worry about.
e-Gift Cards are really a win-win-win!
- The gift giver has a great last-minute gift option.
- The gift receiver gets to select their own present.
- And the online merchant gets to take Valentine’s sales right up until the last minute.
Pro tip: Why not throw in double loyalty points for some added incentive?
2 – Turn the romantic spotlight on a new product or limited-edition range
To compliment your e-gift card promotion — it can be a great idea to bring attention to a hot new product or range (if you’ve recently launched one).
This gives shoppers a taste of how their true love (or “true like”) will be able to spend their Valentine’s gift card.
It’s definitely a good idea to highlight some of your best sellers and fan favorites as well!
3 – Woo them with Galentine’s Day and self love for singles
With all of the romance and love in the air — Valentine’s Day can be a tough time for singles. Generally celebrated a day early (Feb 13th) Galentine’s Day is a day for best friends, sisters, moms and daughters to shower each other with love, attention… and (of course) GIFTS.
With this in mind… It can be a great idea to weave in some messaging around Galentine’s Day and also “treating yourself” to something special — especially if you have more of a female database!
4 – Show some love to serial gifters and offer to help them out (again)
Who are the customers most likely to want to buy an e-gift card for their significant other? Well… customers that shopped with you during any other holiday (gifting) period is always a great place to start!
To speak directly with this segment of your audience you could target them with email campaigns, SMS campaigns, or onsite pop ups. If their last purchase was a winning gift, there’s a good chance they’ll be hungry for more!
Bonus tip: follow up to keep the flame alive!
After V-Day has come and gone for another year, you’ll want to welcome your new customers to your community and keep the love burning. This is a great time to…
- Introduce your loyalty program
- Request reviews and UGC
- And promote your other platforms (such as social)
And if you’re looking for some expert guidance with your seasonal promotions, email automations, and customer journey — we can help!
Here at Andzen, we specialize in end-to-end lifecycle marketing across all of your store’s direct marketing channels. We’re best known for creating beautifully-designed, highly-personalised, conversion-focused touchpoints for each stage of your customer journey.
Reach out today to find out more about how we can help you take your business (and customer experience) to the next level!