Ah, Valentine’s Day—when love fills the air, heart-shaped items fly off the shelves, and red roses quadruple in price. Sure, we’re still months away from the big day (with a few other red-letter occasions in between), but forward-thinking marketers know that while pumpkin-spiced everything is still on the menu, now is the perfect time to start crafting those Valentine’s Day 2025 campaigns.
In 2024, retail sales for Valentine’s Day in the U.S. alone reached a staggering $26 billion for the second consecutive year, defying inflation and proving that love is still, indeed, priceless—or at least recession-resistant. A record $14.2 billion was spent on significant others—a 5% increase over the previous year—and these numbers are expected to rise again in 2025. Despite a challenging economic outlook, consumers continue to prioritize spending on special occasions.
However, the modern consumer is easily distracted, hopscotching between tabs, channels, and devices. To win their hearts (and wallets), you need to be front and center when they’re ready to commit. So how can you make sure you’re the one they swipe right on? By implementing a well-timed, multi-channel marketing strategy that starts with recognizing who they are when they’re on your website, then delivering the right offer, on the right channel, at the right time. Here are our tips to do just that.
Start Early to Woo Both the Planners (and the Procrastinators)
Valentine’s Day draws in both planners and last-minute shoppers. Wunderkind data shows that the first notable spike in Valentine’s Day purchases usually happens about three weeks before February 14th. A campaign launch in the second half of January allows you to bypass the New Year’s noise while still giving early planners plenty of time to make decisions.
For last-minute shoppers, consider a separate series of reminders with “urgent” messaging. Highlight express shipping deadlines, digital gift card options, and in-store pickup for a “get-it-now” appeal. By catering to both groups, you’ll stay top of mind from the initial consideration phase all the way through to checkout.
Email Marketing: Make It Personal (and Sweet)
Exclusive data from the Consumer Insights Report for Digital Commerce reveals that email remains one of the most effective channels for reaching shoppers. Nearly half (49%) of consumers prefer receiving tailored offers via email from retailers’ websites they’ve visited, appreciating the hyper-personalized content it enables.
On average, a standard marketing email drives just $0.04 in revenue, compared to $0.95 per email from Wunderkind. The difference lies in personalized messaging triggered by real-time user behavior—“send all” no longer cuts it from either a customer or brand perspective. To show you care—and to make your email marketing efforts more impactful—here are some tips to drive value and conversions:
Curate Gift Guides: Don’t limit gift guides to “for him” and “for her.” Include options for “Galentine’s Day” or for friends, helping customers find the perfect products for all types of relationships. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romantic love, after all.
Celebrate Customers: Send a “We Love Our Customers” email with a small discount or a personalized message of thanks. This unexpected gesture can help strengthen loyalty and encourage additional sales.
Suggest Complementary Products: When customers make a purchase, use the confirmation email as an opportunity to recommend complementary items. If someone buys a necklace, suggest matching earrings; if it’s flowers, recommend chocolates. These thoughtful nudges can drive incremental revenue.
Don’t Forget the Unmatched: Around a third of consumers are single, and a sizable 47% of consumers do not plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2025—yet. Send messages that appeal to those who might want to treat themselves, expanding your reach beyond the traditional market.
Text Marketing for Real-Time Romance
When it comes to immediate engagement, text messaging is a direct and highly effective tool. One of the biggest advantages of adding text as a channel right now is that it’s still underutilized by many retail brands. Retailers that leverage text message marketing have a much higher chance of reaching their target customers because they aren’t competing in crowded, bid-based channels. Unlike email, text messaging isn’t oversaturated yet, making it a prime opportunity for retail marketers to stand out—if they move quickly.
This Valentine’s Day, don’t just copy-paste your email content. Use text for time-sensitive offers and real-time updates that create urgency and drive action.
Use Text as a Reminder: Your email campaigns can set the stage, but a well-timed text the day before a sale expires can give shoppers the nudge they need. This sense of urgency is especially valuable when inventory is limited or shipping cutoffs are approaching.
Offer Real-Time Solutions for Procrastinators: Text is ideal for reminding last-minute shoppers of quick options. For example: “Need a gift now? Our e-gift cards and experience vouchers are instant!” Position your brand as the hero that saves Valentine’s Day.
Announce Flash Sales: Send a quick text an hour before a limited-time sale ends. For instance, “Only 3 hours left to get 20% off our Valentine’s Collection.” These short, urgent messages can drive engagement and conversions right when it matters most.
Turn Unknown Website Traffic Into Known With Identity Resolution
With the continued uncertainty surrounding third-party tracking cookies and their poor ROI, retail marketers need a better way to connect with consumers and deliver the digital experiences they expect from the brands they purchase from.
First-party data and identity resolution have become crucial tools for retargeting. Wunderkind Identity monitors over 2 trillion behavioral signals annually, helping marketers identify anonymous traffic, increase email and text revenue, and power personalized messaging at scale. While 95% of website traffic is anonymous, Wunderkind Identity matches 10x more traffic to an email address than cookies or ESPs.
Cart abandonment tends to spike around Valentine’s Day, as customers second-guess their gift choices. Having a strong retargeting strategy, powered by Wunderkind Identity, can be the difference between lost sales and conversions.
Our identity solution has been a game-changer for brands like Shinesty, which saw a 5.6x increase in cart abandonment revenue after switching to Wunderkind. By leveraging the Wunderkind Identity Network, Shinesty was able to identify unknown visitors and convert them into known contacts, enhancing customer engagement with humor-driven emails and texts. This approach boosted text revenue performance by 1.5x and ultimately drove 10-12% of Shinesty’s entire online revenue.
Conclusion
To make your Valentine’s Day campaign a success, start early, personalize deeply, and cater to both lovebirds and solo shoppers. Retail brands need outcomes, not just tools, to capitalize on Valentine’s Day. Wunderkind’s proven marketing strategies, which combine personalized email and text campaigns with powerful identity resolution, drive more conversions and guaranteed revenue. With our identity-first approach and AI-powered platform, we guarantee a performance boost—making your Valentine’s Day campaign one to remember, and replicate.
And keep in mind that what works—or doesn’t work—can also be applied to Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July weekend, and beyond.
Identifying website traffic can play a key role in increasing your database of contacts.
Learn all about identity resolution in our ebook.