Whilst traditionally sales after the January sales end and the reality of Christmas spending hits home, February invariably brings about a great opportunity to capitalise on Valentine’s Day spending. Recent years have seen a huge upsurge in online spending just before Valentine’s, and it is a great opportunity to secure new traffic to retail websites as it is invariable that etail results for 2011 will show another strong year on year growth.
It is likely that the trends from last year will continue, as consumers move away from traditional presents – the gifts sector (including hampers, chocolates and flowers) last year declined by a third* -and towards more sophisticated non perishable gifts such as lingerie and perfume, which last year showed a strong annual growth. The plus points of buying these items online are numerous – price comparison is particularly effective for beauty products, reliable postage services mean good timings, and buying lingerie online means many men are able to avoid the embarrassment factor of choosing it on the high street!
I believe it is seasonal opportunities such as these which mean people may stray from the sites they frequently browse, to make purchases from etailers that they may not have used before. This provides a great opportunity to make a real impression on new customers, and deliver a great service, which is likely to ensure returning custom and repeat spends. It seems that shoppers’ love affair with the online sector looks unlikely to end anytime soon!