Posts Tagged ‘customers’
Getting Some Valentines Day Love from Your Customers
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
With $13 billion of spending money up for grabs on Valentine’s Day, you can bet that retailers are taking notice and are ready to cash in on this oh-so-sweet holiday. Unlike other holidays that typically see an increase in sales across several retail categories, Valentine’s Day gifts are a bit more on the romantic side. The most popular gifts tend to be flowers, chocolates, dinners, plush toys , greeting cards and jewelry .
Valentine’s Day Shopping Statistics for the U.S.:
* Consumers now spend an average of $100.89 on Valentine’s Day gifts (from the National Federation of Retailers).
* 62% of consumers purchased at least one card, 47.1% purchased candy, 42.1% paid for dinner or a night out (from the National Federation of Retailers).
* Florists sold over 189 million roses (from the Society of American Florists).
* Chocolate retailers sold over 36 million heart-shaped candy boxes (National Confectioner’s Association).
What can retailers do to claim their share of consumers’ Valentine’s Day spending?
Start your marketing early - Valentine’s Day seems to come so quickly after the new year that it’s one of the most notorious holidays for “last minute gifts”. So, why not snag some early sales by reminding your visitors about the holiday - in January? Start offering Valentine’s Day specials toward the end of January - come February 1 your store should be completely decked out with a Valentine’s Day theme - pink hearts, purple balloons, whatever it takes to get consumers to say “oh right, Valentine’s day is coming!”.
Romance your customers - Have a wide selection of Valentine’s Day gifts organized in displays that are both logical and pleasing to the eye. Try to recreate “romance” as best you can within your display. In order to get your customers to purchase their V-day gifts from you, you’ll need to get them in the right mood first. Consider having certain products grouped together in gift baskets - there are plenty of customers who want to get their special someone something nice, but they don’t know where to start. Gift baskets offer a beautiful presentation of gifts that go well together.
Add to your product line-up - Consider adding some additional romantic gifts that complement your current offering. No matter what you sell, you can always find romantic gifts that target your audience - stuffed animals, fragrances , lingerie , and balloons are just a few ideas. Think like your customers and do the research to find Valentine’s Day gifts that will fit in with your current product line-up.
The same things go for online stores. Break out the pink, red, white and purple colors, and hearts and cupids too. If you don’t literally force Valentine’s Day on customers then there’s a good chance they won’t think of it or even be in the mindset to buy their gifts from you. Grab visitors’ attention with specials, gift packs and more. Be creative in your Valentine’s Day marketing - send out an email campaign, spice up your online ads - there’s plenty that can be done to get the word out to your customers that you have the perfect gift for their special someone.
Tags: advice, Carrie Hinkel, customers, Generating More Sales, seasonal, seasonal shopping, tips, valentine's day
Posted in News & Articles | No Comments »