For the Love of Valentine: How to Prepare for the Holiday for Lovers

As you look towards next month’s festivities of love, you’ll want to show customers, employees, and your business some love of their own. To do that you need to be prepared for Valentine’s Day. It’s much easier to do that when you have a game plan in place. It eliminates last-minute scrambling to find solutions that, in the end, wind up being imperfect and only partially effective at best. 

Spread the Love 

Getting ready for Valentine’s requires preparation and thoughtfulness; you’ll want to inform your customers of the lovely offerings you have available long before Valentine’s Day. A banner can be a great way to spread the word and give customers that warm and fuzzy feeling. Take it to the next level with custom signs and messaging that fully articulates your customer appreciation.

Safe to Love Again

If you have a brick and mortar location you’ll want to provide customers with all the safety measures so they will feel safe and can enjoy their shopping experience. Even if your sales are predominantly taking place online, you’ll want to be ready for in-store and contactless pickup as well. 

A floor mat can be the first welcoming way to immediately make customers feel safe upon entering your business. A June 2020 study by Ipsos found health and safety protocols remain the most important factor for returning to a store, increasing in importance from 42% in May to 48% in early July.

That safety is priority number one is not surprising. Add to your customers’ level of comfort by using as many safety products and measures as is reasonable. Some safety supplies to consider implementing are social distancing signs, sneeze guards, and dispensers. A positive customer experience goes a long way to creating a genuine connection with your community. 

Grand Gestures

Even with safety measures in place most people are spending less time in-store, so utilizing signage can be a huge help to get customers to your products easier. This is where a strategic messaging and marketing will alleviate the stress of being in-store and can easily ensure your  hot-ticket items won’t be missed. Full color banners or, if you have the room, Skytube hanging banners can act as the visual centerpiece of your Valentine’s Sale. 

Be My Early Valentine

Having your sales and promotions in order prior to Valentine’s will give your customers ample time to take advantage of your offerings. A GourmetGiftBaskets.com survey compiled Valentine’s Day statistics, and found over 50% of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days leading up to Valentine’s Day, which means the other 50% are last minute purchases.

Love Comes in Many Splendid Colors

From well thought out gifts to frantic last-minute buys, Valentine’s day runs the gamut. While you are prepping your marketing spend to drive revenue for the former, it’s critical that you also plan for the latter.

The impact of creating impulse buys for in-store shoppers is powerful. It solves the last-minute gift buying panic and moves product off the shelves. Perfectly placed custom signs, both inside and outside may be the spark that gets a customer’s attention and leads to a purchase; just one additional sign in your store can add 4.5% to your bottom line over the course of a year. So imagine what it can do during a holiday like Valentine’s Day. 

Proper placement of impulse purchases near the cash registers, doors, and most popular gifts can make a significant difference in your sales as well. Organizing your store to take maximum advantage of your customer flow pattern can pay huge dividends.

A Good Plan… Might not Exist

A recent research study from the University of California at Berkeley (which analyzed 30,000 purchases of 4,200 customers in 14 cities) found that 68% of purchases were unplanned during major shopping trips and 54% on smaller shopping trips. 

Additionally, in a Onepoll January 2020 study, before the pandemic the average American was found to spend $155.03 monthly on impulse buys; by April that number jumped up 18 percent to $182.98. It’s readily apparent, then, that the global health crisis is contributing to an increase in impulse buying. This is most likely the result of many factors, not the least of which being the lack of multiple shopping trips. 

Late Bloomers and Buyers 

It’s a common trope that people are forgetful around this holiday and it’s one that rings true. In fact, a survey by Kelton Global found that 30% of people in relationships wait until the last minute to make Valentine’s Day arrangements. This is further proven by a NPD Group survey that found 78% of people who celebrate Valentine’s Day plan to shop a week or less before the holiday. Roughly 185 million people — including 70 million women and 59 million men celebrate the holiday. 

An outdoor banner can attract potential customers and motivate them to buy a Valentine’s gift. This type of messaging is effective and affordable to maximize the amount of potential customers your campaign reaches. If you use common graphics or design your own using our templates, both will serve your sales announcements well. 

As we saw from the latest holiday season, holidays bring a sense of much needed normalcy to the new normal by creating fun experiences. Here are some more tips for those looking for cohesive strategies to add to their seasonal sales celebration.