How to set the perfect retail marketing date with your customers?

How to set the perfect retail marketing date with your customers?

Valentine's Day is getting closer! Jewelry, flowers, clothes, experience gifts... How can you surprise your customers so that they can surprise their better half in return? Splio prepared some useful tips for retail marketers who want to make their customers happy by personalizing their marketing approach.

Date your customers!

What if your communications were about knowing first what are your partner's preferences before advising what product or experience you should offer? You would improve customer knowledge and interact in a more thoughtful way.

Anticipate and plan.

Buying in advance or last-minute shopping? As a brand, you should be prepared for both behaviors to delight your customers. It's worth analysing your buyers last year's activity and checking the sales peak tendencies for your business. According to Valentine's Day 2019 Marketing Insight, the love shopping madness can be seen a full week before and just before V-Day. That means that not only your communications should start at least 3 weeks before Valentine's Day, but also that you need to provide a chance for the last-minute customers and be ready to provide them last-minute delivery.

Plan your marketing love story in advance and foresee both shopping behaviors!

Understand the need.

Some people say that love is unpredictable. But not in your case! Retail marketing should be based on customer observations and segmentation. Check products categories that impressed your buyers the most last year and/or personalize offers for different segments of your database. You could build them for example depending on gender or location. Thanks to that, you will be sure that Alice from Paris receives the special "Dinner for 2" discount in the restaurant next-door and not in Bordeaux.

Show your love to your customers in a predictable way and personalize communications.

Don't forget about mobile.

Mobile buyers represent the important part of the market. More than half of all transactions are made on mobile devices! That's why you should prepare your marketing communications with the following rules: adapt your newsletters to all devices using Responsive Design, send SMSs with short links and be sure that your website is displays correctly on smartphones.

Make the Valentine's Day's choice easier.

Bunch of flowers? Well, flowers will always be a great gift but what if you helped your customers personalize the way they send the flowers? Be creative and send gift board ideas to your newsletter recipients before the V-Day. Choose ideas suitable for everyone, in different price or type categories. Follow shopping trends to prepare up-to-date catchy gift ideas. Remember that every item from the board should be clickable and easy to purchase.

The key to success is to make your customers' lives easier. Let them focus on their loved ones - they will appreciate this and keep in their memory the great experience provided by your brand.

Think outside the couple box.

Single people are in your V-Day's target as well, don't ignore them! Think about the strategy that could delight everyone, not just couples. Make sure that your marketing message will encourage your customers to treat themselves. To do that, your offer should contain products that could be bought also by a single person and your communications should be adapted for both couples and single people. Replace the "Give your lover a moment of happiness" message by the "Give people you love a moment of happiness". Small change for you, but a big step for your customers.

Valentine's Day is a perfect occasion to set the date with your customers and to start to follow Splio's tips for other important retail marketing dates. Remember to plan the perfect timing, inspire, respect and delight your customers.

Long live #CustomerHappiness!