National Retail Federation predicts that consumers will spend a whopping $14.2 billion on Valentine’s Day this year.
However, according to research by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend, only one in five (22%) of ecommerce businesses executed a Valentine’s Day campaign in 2023, which means they might decide to skip it this year as well.
Furthermore, only 10% sent messages to their customers on Valentine’s Day.
“This trend of companies deciding to skip Valentine’s Day is not new. In fact, our data shows that as far back as in 2020 only 18% of businesses had messaging around Valentine’s Day,” says Greg Zakowicz, senior ecommerce marketing expert at Omnisend.
“However, this is a huge loss, especially for online businesses. Valentine’s Day is a great occasion to offer some personalized deals to your customers, and improve loyalty, along with making some sales.”
The research analyzed four billion messages (emails, SMS, and push notifications) sent in February 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 by ecommerce brands.
What is the best time to send a Valentine’s Day campaign?
The research found that people tend to buy Valentine’s Day gifts approximately a week in advance. In 2023, February 8th was the day when most Valentine’s Day orders were placed.
However, businesses that decide to increase their sales by sending their campaigns in advance should not forget to send a second email on Valentine’s Day itself.
“Understandably, companies that value Valentine’s Day want to start their communication with customers earlier and increase chances of making sales,” says Greg Zakowicz. “However, by stopping their campaigns too early they miss a chance to target last-minute buyers or those who appreciate the self-gifting.”
