Love is in the air but is meant to be celebrated differently in 2021! As we all know, the pandemic is not over. With physical stores still closed around the globe, people ran out of choices but to shop online. And that won’t change for Valentine’s Day. It may not be the best moment financially speaking. Still, people are ready to invest in a beautiful gift for their significant other. Statistics from the National Retail Foundation showed that Valentine’s Day has a considerable potential to beat the year’s record for spending.
According to their survey, consumers plan to spend an average of $196.31 on gifts. It represents a rise of 21% over last year’s previous record of $161.96. Is your e-commerce business having a hard time through this pandemic? Then this might be the right moment to put extra effort into your campaigns and ensure that your customer service team is ready to handle all these customers!
Who Plans on Buying Gifts for Valentine’s Day This Year?
The good news is that nowadays, people who are not in a relationship also plan on spending money for Valentine’s day. People see it as a good occasion to gift their family members too. Some consumers feel like buying themselves a gift. Others want to buy something for their kids, their co-workers, and surprisingly, for their pets! Let’s check the general statistics:
- Cherish your pet. We’ll start with the most – at least for some – unusual one. It comes with the highest figure in the history of the survey. 27% of consumers expect to buy their pet’s Valentine’s day gift. Consumers want to spend around $12.21 on a present for their pets.
- Which range plans to spend more? Ages 35-44 say that they plan to spend an average of $ 358.78. Ages 25-34 are usually employed, so they have an income, and some also have kids. So they expect to spend around $307.51. Ages 18-24 represent the lowest range, and they’ll probably spend an average of $ 109.31.
- What about gender? For this, there’s no change compared to the previous editions of the survey. Men should spend more than women: $291.15, in opposition to $106.22 from the last year.
- And who they want to greet? Consumers plan to spend around $ 30.19 on family members other than spouses. People expect to spend $14.69 on gifts for friends in opposition to $9.78 from the last year. The average for children’s classmates and teachers is $14.45, up from $8.63 compared to the previous year. Even if many are working from home, they still plan to spend around $12.96 on co-workers’ gifts.
Make Sure You’re Ready to Top Customer’s Expectations!
A loyal customer would shop again at the same webshop. Perhaps they love the services you offer so much that they might recommend them to their friends. So why not compensate these customers with a special discount for Valentine’s Day? Think about people with little time to browse before choosing the perfect gift. Some personalized kits can be a great solution. The current situation pushes businesses and customers to think outside of the box. Date nights are people’s favorite choice for Valentine’s day gifts. But with restaurants still closed in some countries, lovers may fancy a sophisticated takeaway menu. So why not consider a partnership with a restaurant and give away a couple of vouchers for Valentine’s day gifts?
Still, it is not only about preparing nice campaigns. Especially during these times, online businesses should focus on customer support. Without the option to purchase something at a physical store, people will surely spend more time online. It can lead to more stressed customers, so be sure that your customer care team is ready for that! Ensure that all information about shipping options are clear, as well as the return policy. Then, prepare your customer service team to promptly answer the most common questions and advise them to prioritize positive language use.
Taking into account customers’ perspective, they expect your agents to be proactive and answer as fast as they can. For this reason, live chat is the best solution, as customers won’t need to pick up the phone or open a new tab to send an e-mail if they have any doubts. In a physical store, you have to search for a salesperson when you need help. A similar option can be offered through the chat, as an agent can respond to customers’ answers just a click away!
For instance, chat automation is a good alternative to handle customers in the queue. But providing a human and personalized experience can be much better! With live chat, agents can help customers in real-time and avoid keeping them waiting. So, just like for the holiday season and other important commercial days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you should think about hiring extra staffing support externally. By preparing a performing workflow between your current team and the extra staffing, organizing the heavy influx will be a piece of cake.
Valentine’s day is just around the corner, but there’s still time to take some action and help consumers celebrating. It can also be a pretense to reshape the way your business handles customers. Don’t know where to start? We got you covered!
Source: Martech Zone
