How Consumers Plans to Spend on this Valentine’s Day in Lockdown?

In 2020, when consumers in the US were buying heart-shaped treats and making Valentine’s Day plans, the COVID-19 was just a blip on the radar. Twelve months down the line, buyers have become experts in adapting to life under lockdowns that have heckled everything from eating out to daily routines and special events to celebrations.

Given the circumstances, it was on the cards that shoppers will change the way how they spend on this Valentine’s Day. According to National Retail Federation’s annual Valentine’s Day survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, people are planning to spend an average of $165 on V-Day’s gifts and celebrations, which is $32 less than what they budgeted in 2020.

Despite the significant drop in expected spending, it will be the second-highest heart-filled day in terms of projected spending. Because a special significance still remains around the Fourteenth of February as shoppers are committed to celebrating the day, even if it means altering the traditional holiday celebrations.

Don’t believe me? Have a look at this: 73% of the consumers who are celebrating Valentine’s Day this year think that owing to the current state of the pandemic, it’s important to do so.

This brings us to the most critical question: How exactly are consumers planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2021? The NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics study found that consumers are marking the occasion in following the ways:

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  Celebrating Love in the Quarantine Bubble

Over the years, Valentine’s Day has turned into a holiday tradition that is more than just about romantic love. Rather, it has grown into a day to celebrate and cherish all the important relationships in your life. However, this year, the pandemic has put that trend on pause, which forced the shoppers to keep it close to home in more than one way. People between the ages of 25 and 44 are expected to buy Valentine’s Day presents for their kid’s classes or colleagues. But since many students are not in a position to return to schools as classes are taking place online, buyers are less likely to include co-workers, teachers, and classmates in their Saint Valentine’s Day plans.

Yet, there is one group that has successfully made it to the consumers’ bubbles—Pets. Like the previous year, 27% of the people celebrating V-Day are looking to buy gifts and treats for their beloved pets. But how on earth will they get presents for their loved ones in the shadow of the pandemic?

• Online is the Popular Shopping Destination

This year, online is the top V-Day shopping destination. The recent stats from NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics revealed that in comparison to the department stores (29%), discount stores (28%), local small businesses, and specialty stores (17%), 39% of consumers visited online stores. While jewelry, clothing, and candies fall among the top things that consumers have planned to gift their loved ones.

Keeping the figures in mind, it’s time to remind online merchants what they can do to draw the customers. Though there are countless things you can do around February 14th to show your buyers how much you love them, here are some tried and test tactics that will drastically boost your sales—especially if you think business has slowed down after the Holiday season.

1. Create a Special Section on Your Web for Valentine’s Day

If you have a vast range of Valentine’s Day merchandise, there is no harm in placing them all in one place on your web or online store. This way, you will make it easier for your ideal customers to find and purchase all their favorite V-Day products from one place. Several prominent online businesses have embraced this strategy. As a result, they have dedicated “V-Day Shops” that consumers can quickly find and get what they need for the big day.

2. Come Up with Winning V-Day Sales or Promotion Ideas

Speaking of ideas, the NRF research shows that approximately 49% of the shoppers said they are likely to spend more if they find some really good sales or promotions. Evidently, your prospective customers are in search of hot deals. So it’s in your best interest to offer them some tempting deals on February fourteenth and kick your sales.

To come up with the best deals, think about your goals, customers, and products. For instance, it’s a perfect time to sell out slow-moving stock, and buy one, get one offer would be the safest bet to achieve this goal. But if you are keen to give your sales a boost, then offering an irresistible discount might work best.

In any case, devise the best promotion plan to drive your products’ sales and then confidently implement it in your online store.

3. Create Custom Rigid Boxes that Speak the Language of Love

With the feast of Saint Valentine approaching closer, online merchants are getting eager to market their products by embracing the V-Day vibe. And what could be better than embracing custom rigid boxes.  The gift-like packages give people another reason to buy from you because it saves them a great deal of time and money. Since they don’t need to splurge extra money to gift wrap the product.

With statistics suggesting that over a billion cards being sent out across the globe as V-Day gifts, followed by jewelry and chocolate boxes, your online brand has an excellent opportunity to sway the customers by enclosing products in unique custom rigid boxes wholesale supply. Not only will this elevate the unboxing experience, but it also leaves a lasting impression on customers that will continue to remind them of your online business and pave the way for future purchases.

Presenting jewelry and cosmetic products, such as eyelashes in dull and boring packaging, has become a thing of the past. Today, customers want brands to offer more value against the money. This means your lash box shouldn’t just meet but exceed customers’ expectations. The same holds true for chocolate and jewelry packaging.

Sure your brand leads the way in this regard, but did you consider printing a personalized message on your rigid box packaging or wholesale eyelash boxes? What about carving a dedicated space to key in the name of the individual it will be gifted to? These are a few of the many novel ideas that can take the gifting experience to a whole new level. And bespoke packaging can play a pivotal role in doing so.

Whether you need custom printed rigid boxes or tailor-made wholesale eyelash boxes, The Legacy Printing can aid you with all. Visit their website and share the number of units, box dimensions, features, and requirements through the online form or live chat and quickly receive a free quote to see if they fit into your budget. The company offers several free services that significantly lower packaging costs and make it more feasible for you to spread the love on Valentine’s Day and beyond.