How to Make Valentine’s Day 2015 More Personal: Tips for Online Businesses

Valentine’s Day is a time to show people that you care. For online businesses, it’s also a prime opportunity to reach more customers. Online sales the week leading up to Valentine’s Day continue to grow – it increased eight percent between 2013 and 2014 alone.

With more customers shopping from home or on-the-go via mobile, it’s clear that Valentine’s Day is an ecommerce holiday to be reckoned with. Ecommerce businesses can make the most of it by getting personal with customers. Here are three tips for tailoring your customer’s online shopping experiences this holiday:

Go MOBILE

In the past, consumers used their mobile devices to research products before and after a purchase. But now, shoppers are getting more comfortable purchasing directly from their smartphones and tablets. In fact, 36.8 percent of mobile sales accounted for all online traffic last Valentine’s Day.

Making your website mobile-compatible is a definite must to make your customer’s shopping experience a seamless one. Check if your page is mobile-friendly with this test, or refer to this guide to create and improve your mobile website.

Boost Your Social Influence

Last Valentine’s Day, shoppers referred from Facebook averaged $125.24 per order and shoppers referred from Pinterest averaged $147.74 per order. Enhance your social influence with these tips:

• Focus on platforms that make sense to your business. Find your target audience, and develop engaging content in advance that you can roll out leading up to and throughout the holiday.
• Post or tweet a limited-time discount or giveaway with a compelling visual, promo code or direct link for purchase. Add a relevant/creative hashtag such as Nordstrom’s #ThinkOutsideTheChocolateBox so that people can find your deals more easily.
• Recognize that “real-time marketing” doesn’t mean “selling.” Oreo’s 2013 Super Bowl tweet taught businesses that it’s not just about making a sale when it comes to leveraging real-time opportunities. Focus on content that will incite good emotions from your customers, and ultimately lead to social media sharing.

Offer Special Gift and Delivery Services

Boost customer satisfaction by clearly outlining your return and exchange policies, as well as offering low-cost returns to those who aren’t sure if their gift will be a hit or a miss. Also consider offering free gift wrap. It may not seem like much, but it could be the deciding factor behind a purchase. Finally, add that last personal touch by including a ‘thank you’ card with your customer’s order.

With these tips, you can tackle Valentine’s Day and make the love last all year long with your customers.