by Crystal Wells

Special to the eTail Blog

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and rather than seeing yet another blog post or TV segment on what to get your honey, we thought we’d talk about what you, as an online retailer, can do to capitalize on the big commercial holiday that is February 14th. Here are a few tips to get your brand a bit more noticed for the day of February love.

1. Add some romantic flair to your logo. “Holidize” your logo by adding some hearts or cupids and show your website has a romantic side. You may be able to find a service that will do this for you for free (just Google it!)

2. Offer a special gift-wrap service. Offering a Valentine’s Day gift-wrap service is fun and relatively easy, and your clients will appreciate the extra effort you put into their gifts. Make sure you budget for the additional cost, and be ready to keep up with demand since this can be a time-consuming production.

3. Create Valentine’s Day product showcases. By creating a product showcase on your website with gender-specific gift items, your buyers will know exactly where to find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for their loved ones. Label the showcases as “Gifts for Her” and “Gifts for Him.”

4. Run a “Sweetheart Deals” sale. Showcase sale items on your website that would make great gifts. The sale items can be an assortment of products for both him and her, or they can be gender-neutral items that anyone would love to receive.

5. Email your customers. Email your subscribers a “Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas” promotion. You could even try featuring unusual item categories if you don’t carry traditionally romantic gifts. As always, including product pictures increases sales.

6. Add romantic captions to product descriptions. Romantic captions such as “Your special someone will love this…” will draw the attention of your customers and help them visualize giving that item as a gift.

7. Include free custom message cards. Run a Valentine’s Day promotion by offering to include a free custom message card with every purchase. Let customers write a personal message, and if possible, hand-write the card (only if you have good handwriting!) Your customers will appreciate your attention to detail.

8. Display cut-off shipping dates. It’s easy to procrastinate, and some of your clients will be making last minute purchases. By prominently displaying the cut-off date for on-time shipping, you will create a sense of urgency that will help increase sales and ensure that gifts arrive on time.

9. Offer gift receipts. Offer a gift receipt so the recipient can return or exchange their gift without seeing how much it cost.

10. Hold a Valentine’s Day contest. Engage your customers by featuring a contest on your website. Ask them for a Valentine’s Day story or for tips on how to find true love that you can feature on your site. Offer the winner a store gift card.

Keep in mind that men spend nearly twice as much as women on Valentine’s gifts, and that apparel, jewelry, and gift cards are top-selling categories.

Crystal Wells is in Product Marketing for Vendio, an ecommerce software solution provider that includes an online store and simplifies selling on sites like eBay and Amazon.