Valentine’s Day is always the biggest floral holiday of the year, yet Valentine’s Day 2021 could take things to a whole new level. With so many people unable to head off to their favorite restaurant for a romantic dinner, they’ll be looking to make their at-home celebrations even more memorable. And those unable to celebrate with a loved one will want to send a gift to express their love. The answer in both cases, of course, is flowers, flowers, and more flowers! Here are a few ways to get your shop ready for what is sure to be a memorable Valentine’s Day.

Thoroughly Analyze Past Sales

What flowers sold best last Valentine’s Day? What didn’t sell as expected? Don’t just review sales from last Valentine’s Day — also check your sales from Thanksgiving and Christmas 2020. This will give you a good idea of demand from customers stuck at home due to the pandemic. Additionally, review the average spend per purchase from last year. Is there a way to increase it this year, perhaps by adding gifts to create Valentine’s Day bundles? And check your online sales for the past few months, as these will likely increase for Valentine’s Day. Once you have a good idea of what products you’ll need and how much, get your orders in fast to prevent potential supply chain slowdowns.

Plan Out Your Promotional Content Now

Once you know what you’ll be offering, plan out your Valentine’s Day promotions and create all the content now. That means all your website sales page content, emails, and social media posts. Schedule your campaigns in advance through your email content tool (like MailChimp) and on Facebook and Instagram so that they go out on specific future dates. That way, you can be focused on sales while knowing that your promotions will be going out like clockwork. If you’re not sure what to offer, check out our article on 10 Valentine’s Day Promotional Ideas.

Run a Facebook Ads Campaign

As part of your promotional actions, you may want to run a targeted Facebook Ads campaign. Organic reach won’t cut it — regular Facebook posts usually reach about 1–5% of a business’s followers. When you set up your promotions as Facebook Ads, you can run them at specific times to a highly targeted audience. For example, you could target men within a 25-mile radius to promote a Valentine’s “roses and candy” package — you’re bound to get a better response.

Track Your Results Regularly

Once your promotion starts to go out, set up a daily or weekly time to review all your results. In this way, you can see what’s working and what you need to tweak to improve your response. This review includes looking at what’s selling best on your website, what emails get the most opens, and what social media posts receive the most likes and comments. Be prepared to change things on the fly if you see that they’re not getting the response you expected.

Cater to Last-minute Shoppers

Unlike other holidays, Valentine’s Day isn’t typically something people prepare for ahead of time. The majority of shoppers are men, and they usually purchase gifts the week before, especially on the day itself. Set up your shop and your website to cater to these last-minute shoppers with same-day delivery, personalized service, and gift bundle recommendations.

Prepare your staff

While you’re busily promoting and setting up for your Valentine’s Day sales, make sure your staff knows about it. Share the emails and ads with them, as well as the promotional schedule. Make sure they’re prepped to handle the rush that comes from your fabulous, targeted promotions and that they have everything they need to take on the extra workload. You’ll also want additional staff in place to properly sanitize and clean your shop to comply with local COVID requirements.

These are just a few important ways you can prepare now, so you can help more customers share the love this Valentine’s Day!