Should Your Business Do Valentine’s Day Marketing?

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, which means that one of the biggest marketing events is too. There can be no doubt about it, the day of love has become a great opportunity to market, sell, and attract new customers.

That being said, is it still as big an opportunity as it was five to ten years ago? And should your business give in to this marketing opportunity, or should you rather continue your successful marketing strategy?

In this blog, Adventa looks at how much Britons spend on Valentine’s and whether it's worth changing your marketing strategy during this period or not. We will also look at Valentine customer activations to try and determine whether you should buy Valentine-specific products to sell to customers.

How Much Do Consumers Spend on Valentine’s?

Valentine’s Day is a big spending holiday all over the world, as the focus is on gifts and tactile expressions of love and affection. Flowers, chocolates, soft toys, photo frames, heart-shaped trinkets (check out the Adventa heart-shaped wholesale keyrings) and jewellery have put back UK spenders by approximately £1.3 billion in 2022. This number has not been confirmed, but we can look at more specific statistics for previous years.

According to Finder, 2021 saw over 40 million Brits (76% of the population) celebrate Valentine’s Day. This was actually a significant drop from the previous year. In lockdown, love soared, with over 41.4 million people celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2020.

In 2021, the total spent on Valentine’s Day gifts and goodies was £926 million (£23 per person). 2020 saw an impressive £1.45 billion (£35 per person) spent. So, going off this information, you may consider that 2023 may be a lower spending year, and you may be right. With the cost of living crisis causing people to tighten their belts all over the country, love might not be on everyone’s minds. However, this may simply mean that some won’t take their partners on extravagant dates. Small gifts and meaningful presents are likely to maintain their importance.

Valentine Customer Activations to Try

Customer activations, in marketing, is the implementation of campaigns, events, and experiences that resonate with the audience, engages them, and generates awareness of your brand. The activation process focuses on guiding customers on the path to purchase, often through an interactive experience.

Making use of customer activations during the Valentine’s period will encourage customers to choose your products above other options. It will also give you a chance to interact with your customers, which will set you up for the year ahead too.

Here are a few online and onsite customer activations your business can try for Valentine’s Day:

  • Create an interactive social media campaign
  • Create a social media contest to improve engagement
  • Encourage loyal customers to spread the love with referrals
  • Celebrate different kinds of love on social media
  • Celebrate love within your business on social media
  • Create engaging, heart-warming video and photo content
  • Offer customers exclusive savings or a loyalty program
  • Interact with customers to show them how to use your products
  • Create a beautiful, love-celebrating aesthetic in your physical store

Why You Should Consider Buying Valentines Day Specific Products

What does your store sell? If you’re in the business of selling flowers and candy, you’re set for a successful Valentine’s period. But if you don’t sell anything Valentine-related, you may want to consider investing in lovely gifts.

The statistics indicate that, in 2021, approximately 40% of UK women were expecting to be given flowers for Valentine’s. Many UK women were also expecting jewellery or candy.

Then there are the cards. Over 25 million cards are sent for Valentine’s Day every year, which is truly impressive. So if you print cards, you might just be in business. Better yet, however, would be image-holding products like the Heart Blox or the Glitter Blox. These let lovers display pictures with their loved ones, making an excellent gift for card lovers and gift enthusiasts alike.  Many successful print-on-demand card companies prove the value of adding value to the online sale by offering the card design in a simple product like the key chain or HeartBlox.

Final Thoughts on Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas

Valentine’s Day presents a fantastic opportunity to market and interact with customers. Show your customers some love this year with well-thought-out campaigns, interesting customer activations, and some seasonal gift options. We definitely find this holiday worth investing in.

If you want to know more about our wholesale product range, get in touch with us today or call +44 (0) 1686 625 100.