With Valentine’s Day sales set to double this year despite lockdown, retailers are seeking ways to offset their losses from physical store trading with new product launches & campaigns. As online shopping surges, this year presents a new way for shoppers to spend their money on Valentine's Day.
Before Covid-19, red and pink hearts adorning shop windows was a common sight, acting as a reminder that order Valentine’s Day Gifts online was forthcoming.
Despite its proximity to the crucial Black Friday and Christmas trading period, Valentine’s Day has served as an opportunity for many retailers – particularly those that specialise in gifts, jewellery, chocolate, flowers or wine – to increase sales via campaigns targeted at couples.
Due to the current UK-wide lockdowns resulting in the temporary closure of non-essential shops, many retailers have since paid more attention to their online channels. This has been evident through the introduction of Valentine’s Day promotions and sections on the home page of their websites – making it easy for customers shop for Valentine’s Day gifts amid lockdown.
Retailers know they cannot ignore Valentine’s Day, especially since spending is set to double this year compared with last year, according to retail experts at Emarsys.
Although this correlates with GlobalData’s findings last year when it reported that Valentine’s Day gift online was set to be worth just over £1bn in 2020, up 0.6 per cent on 2019, the lockdown will inevitably present challenges for retailers that have long depended on their shop windows to lure customers.
Nevertheless, Emarsys said lockdown would serve as an opportunity for retailers to double their sales amid pent-up savings from Brits staying home for the majority of 2020. In contrast, GlobalData retail analyst Zoe Mills said customers were likely to spend less overall.
“Some are forced to spend it in separate households and others that would typically have gone for a lavish meal are now spending the day in their home,” Mills told Retail Gazette.
“While many couples will still buy gifts and greetings cards, the Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly put a dampener on events and even among those celebrating it is likely to be a more muted affair.”
GlobalData recently found there was likely to be an “explosion of interest in romantic meal kits” instead of fashion-centric gifts, as people seek to create intimate, restaurant-quality dinners at home.
Georgia-Rose Johnson, shopping specialist at finance comparison site Finder, said fewer people were planning to spend money this Valentine’s Day Gifts as treating yourselves to your favourite restaurant or bar is off the cards.
Nonetheless, she said retailers shouldn’t turn a blind eye to Valentine’s Day gifts online due to the pandemic, but rather “take every opportunity to find ways to connect with consumers” at a time when they can’t visit the high street.
source - https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2021/02/how-can-retailers-charm-this-years-valentines-day-shoppers/
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