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Whether your customers view Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday or just an excuse to spread the love, you can capitalize on this loving season to delight customers and gain more online orders.
Follow these six tips to optimize your customer experience and increase Valentine’s Day sales with Square Online.
1. Update your menu or create a featured gift guide on your site
Valentine’s Day is one of the top occasions for dining out, according to yearly research from the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Many couples, families, and groups of friends also choose to spend a fun evening at home with pickup or delivery orders. Valentine’s Day menu options like a dinner for two, special desserts or wine pairings, and even heart-shaped items help diners choose your business over competitors for their V-Day meal.
Valentine’s Day is also one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending on gifts. If you sell physical items or services, consider grouping together the offerings that would make great Valentine’s Day gifts and positioning them as a gift guide on your site.
Whether you’re offering Valentine’s Day menu items, physical gifts, or services, you can create a category on your Square Online site or include them in a Featured Items section.
2. Let your customers schedule orders ahead of time
If you offer special Valentine’s-themed items, February 14th may be an extra big day for pickup and delivery orders for your business. Sell items as preorders on your site and allow customers to schedule pickup and delivery ahead of time.
Pre-ordering brings added convenience to your customers as they plan ahead for the holiday, and helps you manage inventory and staffing accordingly. Pre-ordering is available on paid Square Online plans.
3. Offer a discount or promotion
Limited-time discounts are another way to prompt customers to choose your business over the competition when it comes to Valentine’s purchases, and they can even drive customers to place larger orders.
In Square Online, you can create a coupon and set the limit per customer, the start and end date, the discount type (percentage, dollar value, free delivery), and which items or categories are discounted. You can even use scheduled item updates to schedule when sale prices go live, and position your sale as a flash sale.
Discounts become less effective if you run them too frequently, so it’s best to keep them to the times of year when there’s an added seasonal hook and relevance for your customers, making holidays a great time to try this strategy.
4. Sell digital gift cards
For gift-givers who want to treat their loved one to the experience of selecting their own gift, gift cards are a popular option. You can sell digital gift cards online, allowing customers to email it directly to a recipient.
5. Offer gifting options at checkout
Help your customers make their Valentine’s Day gift purchases even more special by letting them add gift messages, request gift receipts, and pay an added fee for gift wrapping. Gifting options are available on paid Square Online plans.
6. Drive awareness of your Valentine’s Day offerings
What good are Valentine’s Day menu items, gift guides, and discounts if your customers aren’t aware of them? That’s why marketing your Valentine’s Day offerings through email, text messages, onsite promotions, and social media is essential. Follow these steps to get the word out to loyal customers and followers:
- Send an email or text campaign using Square Marketing, which offers a 30-day free trial as well as some free email templates.
- Post about your Valentine’s Day offerings on your social media channels, and make sure your Square Online site is linked in your bios for easy online ordering.
- Launch a banner or pop-up on your site to remind site visitors of any discounts or special offers you’re running.
