5 Ways to Make Valentine’s Day a Sales Success

Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest international holidays for e-commerce, making it a huge opportunity for merchants to take advantage of. And, in recent years, the way consumers celebrate Valentine’s Day has changed. It’s no longer exclusively reserved for couples but has become an overall celebration of love between family, friends, pets, and even self-care. Which means this opportunity is only getting bigger.

So PPRO has teamed up with ICEPAY, the international payment service provider, to dig into how merchants can make the most of Valentine’s Day sales. Here are our top tips:

1. Target millennials for Valentine’s Day. (Even the singles.)

Increasing conversion means knowing customers really well. So, which of your customers love love? According to NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 72% of millennials plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day, whereas 50% of adults aged 55+ plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day [1].

But Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples anymore! With events like Galentine’s Day taking social media by storm, people celebrate by throwing parties and buying little gifts for friends, family, and pets. In fact, on the topic of pets, 1 in 3 millennials has a pet – more than any other age group – and they are spending the most on Fluffy for Valentine’s Day.

2. Curate a lovely selection

Help customers get over the “analysis paralysis” of what to get loved ones by featuring suggested gifts – right on your homepage. The top 5 gifts for Valentine’s Day are candy, greeting cards, an evening out, flowers, and jewellery.

Increasingly, people love to give experiences as gifts: a memory, rather than a physical object to hold onto. This means travel, concerts, and fine dining are on the upswing for Valentine’s Day.

Are you an omnichannel merchant? Make use of your brick-and-mortar stores by offering a little something extra in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Photo sessions or photobooths, free gifts with purchase, or a “late night” with extended store hours and little giveaways are becoming more and more popular.

3. Optimise for mobile.

It’s predicted that mobile will drive 54% of online sales by 2021 [2]. Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and that images are nice, bright, and hi-res. 78% of customers say images are an important part of the shopping experience.

And don’t forget to market on social: 55% of consumers have bought something online after discovering it on social media [2].

4. Perfect your checkout experience.

You have taken the time to target a customer, personalise your offering, and make the tech fit their habits … but have you taken into account how they like to pay for their purchases? Your checkout page is the last step in your consumer’s experience, but it’s the most crucial one. Shoppers will abandon a transaction if their preferred payment method is not offered.

77% of global e-commerce purchases are paid for using a local payment method [3] – payment types like e-wallets, bank transfers, and local cards. Only offering international cards are not going to get you the conversion rates you’re hoping for.

Payment preferences vary widely from region to region, and even country to country. Especially in Asia Pacific or Latin America. Make sure you’re offering the right ones for the consumers in that region.

5. Reduce shipping costs.

Shipping costs kill conversions. Around 53% of people will abandon a cart because shipping, taxes, and other extra fees are too high [4]. If you can offer free shipping to customers – even as a Valentine’s Day treat from you to them – you have a higher chance at them clicking “make purchase.”

Want to learn more about how to increase conversion on Valentine’s Day?

Download our full infographic here!