Valentine’s Day may seem like it’s all about the tiny hearts with even tinier messages on them, but the truth is that this consumer holiday is one of the largest in the United States. Spending on Valentine’s Day could reach $26 billion in 2023. That’s billion, with a b. Is your business primed to take advantage of this love-fueled spending spree?
Let’s take an inventory of your Valentine’s Day preparedness: Have you created your list of the most valentine’s-friendly merchandise and services to sell? Have you planned special sales and holiday-themed promotions, and, moreover, are you advertising them on the right channels? Oh, and you ordered those gift cards already, right?
Whatever your answers to those questions may be, we have a list of sure-fire ways to give your bookings and overall sales a major boost this Valentine’s Day—and how Vagaro’s features can help you do it!
Stock Your Online Store
True love never rests, and with a digital storefront, your sales won’t either. An online store enables shoppers to shop for their valentines 24/7.
As far as what to prominently feature in your online store, well, that depends on whatever you think screams St. Valentine’s Day, or at least can be marketed that way. Below are a few (pretty accurate) client personas, and what each might like this February 14:
- The Buff Hottie: Gym swag, workout attire or any workout supplements you may carry.
- The Timeless Beauty: Hair, skin & nail products and treatments. How about a blowout before you go out?
- The Pampered Princess (or Prince): Spa products, couples' aromatherapy massages & other wellness treatments. Don’t forget about the guys too. Think about male-centered treatments, such as shoulder, back & brow waxing and pedicures.
Vagaro’s online store is fully integrated with its booking & payment processing platform and enables you to sell anything from products, packages & services to classes & gift cards. The Online Shopping Cart feature enables shoppers to browse products in your online store, schedule services through your online booking system, and run seasonal specials with Vagaro Daily Deals.
Sell Smart This Valentine's Day
When stocking your store, remember that less can be more. Instead of listing every product your business carries, start with stocking your shop’s top 10 or top 20 best sellers. Vagaro customers can find all the product sales data they need in their Advanced Reports. If you ran Valentine’s Day specials in your online store last year and the year before, pull that data too. This should take the guesswork out of what to focus on this year. In fact, with this data you should be able to plan for this holiday almost a year ahead of time like you do for other major consumer holidays, such as Black Friday.
Make sure to include descriptions, high-quality photos and other information for each item that can help browsers turn into buyers. There are also ways you can help your customers choose...
Create an Online Store Gift Guide
Turning this gift guide into its own digital landing page doubles as great, SEO-friendly seasonal content. However, creating a simple PDF to distribute is just as effective. Make your gift guide available on your business’s website, social media pages & email marketing.
Don’t forget to stock those discounted gift cards in your online store, as well. They may not seem as romantic as a scented oils basket for an at-home couple’s massage, or as fun as that Burning Love HIIT Class Package, but gift cards are perfect because they can be either of those things.
With that said...
Get Those Gift Cards Ready
Gift cards are among the best gifts to give, especially for those Valentines who are notoriously difficult to shop for. A $100 gift card lets them choose exactly what they want, be it the mani/pedi & facial package, or the gentleman’s grooming basket. Remember to order your physical gift cards about a month before Valentine’s Day to ensure that you have enough in stock**.**
Of course, you want to price gift card deals in such a way that benefits both you and your customers. For example, a simple Valentine’s Day promotion could be offering a $10 gift card for free with purchase of a $50 gift card, or two $50 gift cards for $75.
Another advantage of gift cards is that they are usually branded with your business’s logo. Having your brand passed from person to person and carried inside people’s pockets increases your visibility. New clients will come to associate the incredible service you provide with the image on that card, similar to the way they associate candlelit dinners and chocolate-covered strawberries with Valentine’s Day.
Vagaro customers have the benefit of working with Vagaro’s Design Services Team to craft memorable logos and designs that work for every season.
Digital Promotions & Daily Deals
You can get creative with your Daily Deals, or rely on some tried-and-true sales:
- Discounted Couples Massages: This speaks for, and basically sells, itself.
- Love is in the Hair Promotion: Complimentary or discounted hair treatment with the purchase of a haircut or a blowout.
- Couples CrossFit or Pilates Class Package: The couple that sweats together stays together. Basically, a bring-a-friend promotion tailored to Valentine’s Day. If you can convert a customer’s hubby into a recurring member, you’ve more than made up for the money you’ve “lost” in the discount.
- Share the Love Gift Certificate Promo: Yes, you can—and should—discount & sell those digital gift certificates too.
Share your Daily Deals link directly with customers via email & text. Promo code discounts are especially helpful when using text message marketing to promote your Valentine’s Day sales. Promo codes provide a clean, text-friendly way to market discounted digital gift certificates. By using a straightforward promo code, like VDAY20, you make purchasing easier for customers, which translates to more sales.
Organize a Themed Event at Your Business
Your customers are looking for an experience they’ll remember and will associate with your business. An easy way to achieve this is by throwing a Valentine’s Day event. Offer exclusive perks for visiting your business such as double loyalty points, goodie bags filled with branded product samples or discounts on services. Here are a few examples:
- Valentine’s Day Happy Hour: Flutes of Champagne, chocolates or other small bites lend themselves to good vibes as timeless as love itself & a whole lot of opportunities for you!
- Galentine’s Day Specials: How about a permanent jewelry popup, or mani/pedi parties for a group of gal pals—with rosé & snacks served, of course.
- Color of Love Event: Run a special sale on all red & pink retail products or discounts on red & pink fantasy color hair dying.
Once you have your event planned, you’ll need to get the word out well in advance. Promote on your social media channels use email & text message marketing to get the word out to customers.
How did it turn out and what could you have done better? Pay close attention to your event turnout and the number of promising leads & conversions it led to. If you’re a Vagaro customer, this is more info that can be found in your Reports.
Cohost an Event With a Local Business
Your business isn’t the only one trying to think of Valentine’s Day promotions. By networking and partnering with local businesses in your area for an event, you can introduce your respective client bases to one another.
Pop-up events, like the one mentioned above, are gaining popularity. One example is to invite a retail jeweler or local boutique owner into your salon to set up their jewelry & clothing. Customers can shop (and enjoy a beverage) while they get their hair or spa treatment done.
This is only the beginning of a beautiful relationship. If your event is a success, plan to work again with these businesses next year.
Valentine’s Day can be one of the sweetest days of the year—for our hearts and, when carefully planned for, our businesses. With a little planning and strategic execution, your business will thrive. The right software will help you streamline your promotions & marketing, so you can focus on the fun parts of Valentine’s Day.
Among many other things, Vagaro is your partner in maximizing seasonal revenue. If you’re ready to experience what our software can do for your business all year long, then let’s make this relationship official!
