The Smart Lab: How To Prepare for Valentine’s Day
Emmanuel Raheb offers five tips for winning business this Feb. 14, from offering complimentary wrapping to displaying delivery dates.
According to the National Retail Federation, about half the people in the U.S. celebrate Valentine’s Day and they spent $23.9 billion on gifts for partners, friends and others in 2022.
The average amount spent for Valentine’s Day 2022 was $175.41.
Although candy, cards and flowers are always popular, nearly a quarter of consumers planned to give jewelry last year.
For centuries, jewelry has always represented love and been a big part of Valentine’s Day.
Here are five sales and marketing tips to help prepare your jewelry business for this magical time.
1. Create Valentine’s Day category and landing pages
Start with your website. For every major holiday throughout the year, you should have special category and landing pages. Valentine’s Day is no exception.
You’ll want to use this page in all of your digital marketing, especially with social media.
Run Valentine’s Day-specific advertising and use your custom landing page as the entry point to your site.
Matching your marketing messaging and promotional images are part of a cohesive campaign and tell your audience your jewelry store is “Valentine’s Day Headquarters” for gift-giving.
2. Create helpful gift buying guides
Oftentimes, people find it difficult to select the perfect gift for a loved one. Make it easy for them with a helpful gift guide. Segment your styles by price point, type, and personality. Curate your most popular items from necklaces to earrings and more.
For gift ideas, one tip is to steer clear of fashion rings as many don’t know their parnter’s finger size, which makes it difficult for them to shop.
Yes, many people do get engaged on Valentine’s Day so you’ll want to have a separate guide for couples looking to pop the question.
In most cases of a pending engagement, finding the finger size is not as big of an issue. A partner who’s serious about proposing likely has “done their homework.” Many couples also shop for an engagement ring together.
The goal here with a gift guide is to be helpful to whatever type of buyer you encounter and make it easy for them to shop with you.
3. Run Valentine’s Day promotions
The period leading up to Valentine’s Day is the ideal time to run a promotion. From mid-January to February is when people start shopping. You’ll want to capture these “early birds” with a limited-time special featuring a unique style or great price.
Sales and discounts are always a motivating factor, but so is pairing a great deal with a special add-on, such as a nice gift box or a matching pair of earrings to go with that bracelet or necklace. Don’t be afraid to be creative. A good sales promotion isn’t always about the price; it’s about the incredible value you deliver to your customers.
While other jewelers focus on engagement ring sales, remember that more people give gifts than get engaged on Valentine’s Day. You can capture a much bigger piece of the pie by not narrowing your promotions to just engagement ring clients. Go for the broader audience or run multiple campaigns.
“Something as simple and inexpensive as custom gift wrapping goes a long way in making a lasting impression and cementing a lifelong memory.” — Emmanuel Raheb, Smart Age Solutions
4. Promote your delivery dates
Ideally everyone would shop for their Valentine’s Day gifts early and time would never be an issue, but many people wait until the last minute. Don’t neglect these late-comers. Remember that their main motivation is that they need to find the perfect gift and they need to find it fast.
Make sure your website is current and your delivery dates are prominently shown with which items are in-stock.
A boss move is to make your delivery dates a main feature of your site with an easy product filter or special category page. Using phrases like “in-stock, available now for immediate shipping,” is a strong selling point. It’s the No. 1 thing someone who’s late will be looking for before deciding to make a purchase.
If there’s any uncertainty around their Valentine’s Day gift arriving on time, they’ll simply go elsewhere. They have to buy a gift or they’ll risk the wrath of their loved one. Make sure they buy from you!
5. Offer free gift wrapping
Make Valentine’s Day extra special and a day to be remembered. Offer free gift wrapping to complete the experience. By going the extra mile to make things easier for your customer, you become the hero. You saved the day and made them look like a true romantic in the eyes of their loved one.
Presentation is everything and can not only elevate the gift-giving experience, but also your jewelry brand. Something as simple and inexpensive as custom gift wrapping goes a long way in making a lasting impression and cementing a lifelong memory.
With the new year already here, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Feb. 14 comes quickly so start working on your marketing plan now by following these five powerful tips to grow your jewelry sales.
Let Cupid’s arrow strike and you’ll fall in love with your jewelry business all over again.
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