8 Ways to Spice up Your Business this Valentine's Day
8 Ways to Spice up Your Business this Valentines Day
It can be easy to lose track of time, especially after the last 12 months, but Valentine’s day is fast approaching again, and that means love is in the air. If you run a restaurant or café, you probably already have the valentine special menu printed and ready to go, but Valentines is actually a day of big spending, and there is a lot more you can do to get your share of it.
Flower sales increase by as much as 500% over Valentine’s, and Australians spend well over $20 million celebrating this festival of love. Here are some ideas for making the most of Valentine’s this year.
Impulse Buys
You don’t have to run a restaurant or florist to benefit from the sales boom this time of year, any retail store can put some impulse buys on show and take a slice of the pie. From heart shaped balloons and romantic gifts, help get customers in the mood for the day and profit from it too.
Valentine Promotions
No matter what your business is, a Valentine promotion is always a popular way to bring in extra custom. Whether it’s a special meal at the restaurant, a discount for couples at events and activities, to offers on paired items in a retail store, there are hundreds of ways to bring Valentine’s Day into your sale, discount or offer.
A Prize Draw
Valentine’s is all about feeling the love, and a prize draw can capture the imagination. Get people into the business, offer tickets with each purchase or similar, and provide a nice prize for a couple. It generates custom and also has a feel-good ending with a lucky couple winning a prize.
Chocolate!
Valentine’s is associated with many things, hearts, flowers and so on, but you can’t beat chocolate for grabbing attention. Suitably romanticised chocolate is a great seller for any retail business, and is a sure fire hit every time.
Use Social Media
Not everything needs to be about the immediate sale, and Valentine’s can be used for connecting and growing your audience too. Valentine’s themed content, especially funny or cute content, gets shared rapidly in the build up to, and on, the day. Use your social media accounts to get people talking and raise your brand awareness.
Reward your Regular Customers
If you have a loyalty scheme of any kind, give them a bonus on Valentine’s. Double points, bigger discounts, whatever makes sense with the way your system works. It will increase sales and remind your best customers how much you value them.
Treat Your Staff
Boost employee morale with Valentine’s day treat. It could be as simple as a cake at lunchtime or something a bit more dramatic. Engaged employees have been consistently shown in scientific studies to be more productive for your business. Show them the love and enjoy a boost in performance as a result.
Go against the Flow
Not everyone is in a couple, and not everyone loves Valentine’s day. You need to know your audience for this one, but for those that do it can be a great option. Offer a ‘heart free experience’ or other play on the tradition for those who just want to forget all about it. You can even do both, a loved-up promotion on the day itself, a singles extravaganza on the 15th.
Whatever you choose to do, don’t think that Valentine’s is not for your business. One way or another, it can be for every business, there is always something you can do to bring in extra sales or find a new audience.
About the author
Vanessa Lovie
CEO Bsale Australia
Vanessa is the current manager and CEO of Bsale Australia. Over the past 11 years as a business owner, she understands what it takes to grow a ...