[lead]Love is in the air, everywhere we look around – including in shop windows and inside our favourite grocers.[/lead]
If you read our latest 2020 retail calendar, you would have been reminded that the next big retail event is Valentine’s Day – a time filled with love, friendship, gift-giving and of course, increased spending. Just like any other big retail event we see local grocers, as well as many other shops on the high street, interlacing Valentine’s themed marketing throughout their store and shop windows in preparation for the official day.
This not only reminds people of the encroaching event but entices them to arm themselves with all the materials they need to celebrate and that your store is the place to do so. So, with the aim to encourage the most customer spending and take advantage of this time, what do we usually see from retailers during this loved up holiday?
Firstly, a little history
Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day comes round every year on February 14th. In modern-day, the holiday is all about love, affection and celebrating love through the giving of gifts and cards. Traced back all the way to Roman times, it’s said to have stemmed from the Roman Festival of the name Lupercalia, in which took place in mid-February and included celebrations of ‘the coming of spring, fertility rites and the pairing of couples through a lottery’. As the years went on, Lupercalia was renamed to St. Valentine’s Day and by the 14th century, it began to take the form of the romantic holiday we celebrate today.
Ready-Made Marketing
With annual holidays such as Bonfire Night, Halloween and Valentine’s Day, everyone loves to get in on the fun and enjoying the recurring traditions that we usually look forward to. This includes buying products in which signify the holiday and continue the set traditions.
According to statistics, nearly half of us celebrated Valentine’s Day in 2018, and that has been seen to increase by 8.5% year-on-year. With its popularity growing each February, as does the attempts to use marketing to fully exploit the benefits of this time of gift-giving and increased spending. But, just like Christmas, it could be said that marketing around this particular holiday is an easy task, thanks to the carried on traditions in which create a solid foundation to any Valentine’s marketing campaign.
Around this time of year, we see lots of pinks and reds, lots of heart-shaped products, chocolate as well as flowers and other symbols that we instantly associate with Valentine’s day. Using these features year on year not only instantly reminds and informs the customer that they can find all their Valentine’s essentials in that store, but enable opportunities for continued spending as specifically themed products are included in promotions and marketing.
This can be seen in action on Asda’s site as they prepare for the day.
Many of us will swoon for traditionalistic marketing and the products that come with is as it makes buying gifts quick and easy. It allows small gifts and tokens to make a big impact due to the symbols that come along with the holiday, and customers revel in this kind of convenience, especially if they feel pressured to conform to the holiday. In a nutshell, when it comes to marketing and promotional products to reel in the sales – traditionalism works.
Stepping away from traditionalism, every year we seem to see some retailers thinking outside the box to try and come up with the next big thing that will hopefully join the traditions in which reoccur every year. For example, in 2019, Marks and Spencer’s won Valentine’s marketing with the ‘Love Sausage’ which took social media platforms by storm. This year, Co-op has released a sneak-peek at their new Valentine’s range which includes rose-shaped strawberry ice-creams. Using the previously discussed traditionalistic attributes in which we know gains traction, Co-Op has effectively applied this to something new and out the box, which is already making an impact.
It was found that 52% of Valentine’s shoppers turn to supermarkets for their Valentine’s Day needs, which may be thanks to their select focus on such products, and their appropriate marketing. Sticking to traditional Valentine’s themes provides customers with the reassurance of quick and convenient gift solutions, whilst helping to sustain sales during this time.
Image Retrieve from Wales Online, Courtesy of Co-Op
How Can Tactical Help?
Here at Tactical Solutions, we have skills to help ensure that your brand or store is getting the most out of their marketing for this Valentine’s Day, allowing you to gain all the benefits of the increased spending during this holiday. With our dedicated teams who visit in-store, they are able to resolve issues that might hinder sales and implement effective actions; assuring that you’re continuing to perform well.
