by Lucy Adamson
With the 14th February quickly approaching and 59% of Valentine’s shoppers preferring to buy their gifts online, it’s not only bricks and mortar retailers who need to prepare for the event - your online store needs to be ready too. So how can you prepare your online store for Valentine’s Day?
1. Delivery Timescales
51% of gifts are bought during the few days leading up to Valentine’s Day, so being transparent about the timescales for your delivery service is a must.
Be sure not to tuck these away and opt for clearly linking to where your delivery information is stated on the homepage, as well as clearly displaying the final date your shoppers will be able to place an order and still have their items arrive by the 14th February.
2. Fast Delivery
As well as making your customers aware of when they need to place their order, offering a more premium delivery option in the lead up to Valentine’s Day can really increase the likelihood of last minute shoppers placing an order.
If you’re able to, providing the option of guaranteed one day delivery (or allowing customers to select a delivery date which is, again, guaranteed) can give gift buyers reassurance that the presents they buy will arrive in a timely manner, and they won’t have to face their loved ones on Valentine’s Day empty handed.
3. Click and Collect
As well as offering fast delivery on online orders, letting your customers use click and collect (and giving them the ability to pick up their orders in-store within 24 hours of buying) can be appealing to Valentine’s shoppers who don’t want the person they live with to spot their gift arriving through the letter box.
4. Gift Wrapping
There will always be gift givers who hate wrapping presents, so offering gift wrapping online (as well as in-store) can be a small, but effective incentive to buy. While providing this addition at a cost can still work, if possible, offering a free gift wrapping service is much more appealing.
And when it comes to the wrapping itself, while branding is acceptable, try to refrain from plastering your company name all over the wrapping paper. Increasing your brand awareness is important, but you don’t want over-branding to leave a lasting negative impression - remember that you’re wrapping a gift that they want to be personal and special.
5. Collection Pages
When preparing for Valentine’s Day, it’s important to keep in mind that not everyone knows what they’re looking for, and that your online store is being used as much for research as it is for buying.
The easier you make researching gift ideas for your customers, the more likely they will be to buy something from you - odds are, they won’t want to search through every page of your store to find one thing.
Setting up a variety of Valentine’s collection pages, and naming them after the terms your customers will be searching for (‘Gifts for Him, ‘Gifts for Her’, ‘Gifts Under £15’ etc.) will streamline their journey, and avoid them feeling like they have to wade through hundreds of products to find something that’s appropriate to give as a gift.
6. Offers
Promoting a Valentine’s themed offer can help drive customers to your site, but it’s understandable that many retailers might not want to discount their more gift-able products in the lead up to Valentine’s Day. This is why having the offer of a free gift with purchase could be a more appropriate option.
Whether you set a minimum spend, or offer a free gift with selected items (a box of chocolates with every bouquet of flowers, for example), having a collection of small complementary additions that your customers can choose from upon checkout can give that little extra push that some shoppers need in order to complete the order.
7. Targeting
When it comes to Valentine’s Day, it can be tempting to cover your site in hearts and turn everything red - but remember not to only focus on romantic love. People use Valentine’s Day to show their friends, relatives, and even pets that they love them, so don’t forget to include them when you’re preparing for the Valentine’s shoppers.
8. Social Media
When you’re preparing for Valentine’s Day, it’s important that you don’t forget your social presence. Sharing gift ideas on social gives you the ability to promote your own products, whilst integrating DIY gifts or unique Valentine’s date ideas will vary the content and draw interest.
Are You Ready for Valentine’s Day?
From adding collection pages, to ensuring your delivery information is displayed clearly, just making some slight changes to your site before Valentine’s Day will make sure that your customers’ journey can be as easy and straightforward as possible.
To find out how we can help you prepare your online store for any upcoming events, get in touch.
