Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s one of the biggest dates for retail. Knowing that Holidays are prime moments to give gift cards the place they deserve in your marketing efforts, you're in for a treat.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and it’s one of the biggest dates for retail. Knowing that Holidays are prime moments to give gift cards the place they deserve in your marketing efforts, you're in for a treat.
If you already have a Giftify gift card program, this article will help you know how to make the best use of it for Valentine’s Day.
If you don’t already benefit from Giftify’s magic, take this as our list of all the reasons why you should get a gift card program for your centre in time for Valentine’s Day.
Discover why you should put gift cards at the core of your marketing campaigns for Valentine’s Day! If you stay here with us long enough, you’ll also discover Giftify’s gifts to you for your V-Day marketing efforts, including an ultimate marketing timeline for Valentine’s Day, especially for shopping centres.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again - gift cards are the shopping centre’s most versatile tool.
The greatest gift of all
Valentine’s Day may not be for everyone, but many people will still buy a gift for someone they love (even if it is themselves). A gift card is the best solution for all buyers:
- It’s great for those who want a lovely addition to their gift basket to make sure their loved one gets exactly what they want
- It’s great for those that can’t be bothered (or are too scared) to look for a particular gift
- It’s a great gift for old and young, lovers, family members, friends, even oneself *
*especially if you want to celebrate yourself but dread to face the ads targeted at couples.
Most people bought their gift on 13th February for Valentine’s Day 2022. What better solution for a last-minute gift than a beautiful gift card?
It’s indeed the gift that will appeal to all your potential customers for Valentine’s Day.
Also, don’t forget that gift cards are also what gets new customers through your doors, and gets them to spend more - 40% more than the amount on their gift cards. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! So push them forward in your communications. You’ll thank us later.
A gift card for the win
In 2022, social media was the most effective marketing channel across Europe for Valentine’s Day. There’s a lot you can - and should - do for Valentine’s Day marketing on social media. One of them is a challenge or a competition.
You could invite your followers to share:
- Their best date story
- Their worst date story
- The most romantic thing they’ve ever done
- A picture of them as a couple at your centre
- A picture of their parents’ wedding
- A picture of their grandparents’ wedding
I’m getting a bit excited and could go on for (p)ages, but you get the gist. Add a recognizable hashtag like #Love+the name of your centre - it should be inviting to follow and easy to research.
So the best recipe for a challenge that reaches your goals is: a) a good idea, b) a good hashtag, and of course, c) a good gift.
If gift cards are the best gift for many of your customers to give on Valentine’s Day, it is also the best gift you can give them. Honestly, why waste time as marketing professionals racking our brains to find the most incentive-inducing gift, when the easiest solution is simply to give them the gift of choice?
Our gifts to you
The Gift of Data
As a Giftify client, you have access to data regarding footfall, top-performing merchants in terms of gift card redemption, and KPIs. With this very concrete data about the popularity of stores/hotspots in your centre, you can refine your audience segmentation and further inform your targeting plans.
If our collaboration is still in its honeymoon phase, and you don’t have Valentine’s Day period data from your gift card program yet, use what you already have from Christmas.
Check out our 'How To Manual': Data-Driven Marketing to know more about making the best of the data you have available for your marketing campaigns.
Customization
At Giftify, we offer multiple marketing options. You can customize not only gift cards, but also kiosks and customizable packaging, pop-up posters, advertisements on empty windows or even rigid structures to host your kiosks. You want to go all in for Valentine’s Day? We’re here for that.
Brand awareness and offering a little something more than your competitors is key in a period so saturated with similar messages for Valentine’s Day. Even if you don’t have the budget to go full-on, we have affordable options for customized cards, which can go a long way.
The gift card market is booming. It’s winning over many customers who might not have thought of it as an acceptable gift before. A lovely customized gift card with a cute heartfelt note gives it a personal touch that will win the heart of most.
Our ultimate timeline for VDay 2023
Last but not least, and because timing is key when marketing for the holidays, here is our ultimate timeline for marketing for Valentine’s Day 2023.
We suggest starting your communications around February 1st. It falls on a Wednesday this year, which is one of the best days to post on social media! Plan a post around 10 am, it should be seen quite widely by your audience no matter what platform you choose.
Follow this link for our timeline, giving you ideas for what to publish on what days on the countdown to Valentine’s Day, based on research for best posting times by communication type!
Contact your Account Manager for more informations!