LSMerriment: Shopping For Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is one of the major retail holidays in the United States. Consumers stock up on flowers, fancy dinners, chocolates and jewelry to celebrate the love in their life. So, as a small business owner, there are plenty of ways for you to capitalize on the demand for gifts and have fun with your customers!

We have shared a few great marketing ideas from wine shops, and in this article, we’re sharing different types of retail marketing ideas for Valentine’s Day. Take a look and get inspired!

Olio (an olive oil and vinegar shop in Old Town Alexandria), hosted a complimentary Valentine’s Day menu tasting event for its customers. Prepared by a local caterer, the 3-course meal incorporated the use of olive oils and vinegars for sale in the shop, and customers took home recipe cards to learn how to make the meal on their own. Olio also offered customers 10% off the oils and vinegars used in the recipes. We also love their fun olive graphic above!

Wag, a dog boutique in Fort Worth, TX, is garnering excitement over their brand by running their 2nd Annual Wagentine’s Day photo contest online. Customers could be entered for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate to the shop by posting a photo of their dog on Instagram using the hashtag #wagentine. So, not only is this fun for customers (they love showing off their dogs), but it also is a great word of mouth advertisement for Wag! What a fun and inexpensive marketing idea!

Not everyone is a fan of Valentine’s Day, and boutique South Moon Under is helping those folks celebrate by sponsoring a Singles Soiree in Washington, D.C. In collaboration with local magazine The Washingtonian, South Moon Under will hand out gift cards to the “best-dressed singles” at the party. Great cross promotion and tie in with their brand! Plus, during a holiday where most businesses are planning events “for two,” the boutique is standing out to single customers in their community.