E-Commerce Seller Financing   •   February 5, 2021

As an e-commerce store owner, you are likely keeping track of holidays and special days to engage your audience and up your sales. You may have just taken a deep breath after your Christmas marketing efforts, and the next holiday is around the corner. It’s Valentine’s Day.

While only about 50% of US adults admit to celebrating Valentine’s Day and many oppose it, it’s still worth investing some time and effort into Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns. Studies indicate that Valentine’s Day spending equates to nearly $22 billion.

Yes, that’s right. Nearly $22 billion. So, we strongly advise you to prepare for Valentine’s Day in 2021 despite the naysayers.

How to Prepare for Valentine’s Day in 2021

1. Don’t Only Target Couples

Attitudes to Valentine’s Day aren’t quite the same they used to be several years ago. Fewer people are getting married, and an increased number of young people, especially Millennials and Gen Zers, are choosing to be single.

Due to that, about 63% of Millennials and Gen Zers believe that Valentine’s Day is overrated.

Should you still care?

Absolutely!

About 50% of Millennials and Gen Zers keep an eye on Valentine’s Day promotions. Their priorities are simply different. Instead of celebrating romantic love, over 70% of young buyers choose to show appreciation and care for their loved ones. This includes friends, parents, kids, and even pets.

So, your e-commerce store could benefit from diversifying offers. Think about special Valentine’s Day presents, kits, or bundles that can be gifted to friends, moms, dads, and kids.

2. Celebrate Galentine’s Day

If your audience is primarily female, why not celebrate female or gal friendships? Galentine’s Day is actually a nonofficial holiday. It first appeared in a 2010 episode of “Parks and Recreation” and quickly gained popularity.

Craft a few social media posts, create an entire promotional campaign, or have a specific gift code to allow your customers to celebrate their galfriends.

3. Create Offers for Pet Lovers

Pets may not care about Valentine’s Day, but their owners do. You can get creative and offer heart-shaped pet treats, Valentine’s Day styled pet accessories, or clothing and décor ideas that celebrate your customers’ love for pets.

4. Offer Matching Sets for Couples

Even though romantic relationships are no longer the sole focus of Valentine’s Day, that doesn’t mean you can’t have special offers for couples.

So, if you sell products for males and females, for Valentine’s Day in 2021, you can offer sets of matching products for couples at a special price. This can be anything from his and hers T-shirt and pajama sets to matching watch, wireless headphones, or other trending product sets.

5. Focus on Self-Love

Valentine’s Day in 2021 may be different than it has been in other years. Dating and social outings that allow young people to meet potential partners have been more complicated due to the pandemic and lockdowns.

Thus, if it suits your e-commerce business and you prefer not to focus on couples, you can emphasize self-love, “me time,” and pampering.

Emphasize being single as an experience that is positive and remind your audience that they should take care of themselves and their needs first, especially during this extremely stressful time.

6. Offer Your Customers Special Perks

Instead of a discount, you can offer something else as a bonus. This could be anything from free expedited shipping for any orders to unique products that are not normally for sale.

7. Create an Anti-Valentine’s Day Campaign

If you have identified that your e-commerce brand attracts Valentine’s Day skeptics and critics, that doesn’t mean that you should absolutely skip this potentially lucrative holiday.

Instead of skipping Valentine’s Day in 2021 completely, appeal to your audience and create an anti-Valentine’s Day campaign.

You can add products or offer custom packaging that mocks the idea of the holiday and allows your buyers to be vocal about their stance against it while buying and using your products.

Choose What Works Best for Your Brand

Despite the changing buyer behaviors, values, and priorities, Valentine’s Day remains a great opportunity to increase your profits after the slower month of January and the year 2021 is no different.

To identify the approach that is best for your e-commerce business, you must first know who your audience is and what their values and pain points are. Knowing that will allow you to decide whether you should celebrate couples, friends, pets, or self-love or adopt a completely different stance and mock the holiday altogether.

If at any point when preparing for Valentine’s day in 2021 you need financial help, E-commerce Seller Financing can help. We offer financing to e-commerce business owners like you who would like to grow their business without the usual hassle of getting a bank loan. Our fees are fixed and known in advance and our requirements are straightforward and easy. Learn more here.