Welcome to Day 14 of the ‘How to run a Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign’ workshop.  This workshop runs between 27th January to 17th February 2010.  Designed specifically for Zen Cart store owners, each day we will focus on one task to guide you as you run a Valentine’s Day promotion campaign.

Today we are focussing on what we can offer the last-minute buyer to increase the number of sales in the last few days of our Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign.

Jump to today’s task – Promoting Valentine offers for last-minute buyers

In our last task we looked at updating our Gift Certificate images to Valentine-themed designs.  Gift Certificates make the perfect gift idea for those that have left their Valentine shopping to the last-minute.  Include information, or a link to it, on how the Gift Certificates work in your Zen Cart store and any restrictions, if applicable.

If you can, highlight the products in your campaign as “In stock – ready to ship today!” to make it clear to your store visitors the products you have that are available for delivery before Valentine’s Day.

Think about ways that you can ‘stand out from the crowd’ this Valentine’s Day.  Try to include something special like free gift-wrapping or a hand-made card with each order with the promotion of “we’ve thought of everything for you” or something similar.

Put yourself into the eyes of the potential customer.  Can I find Valentine’s gift ideas?  Are there any special offers for Valentine’s Day?  Are these items in stock?  Can they be delivered in time?  What if I need to return an item?  Can I get a gift voucher?  Will my item be gift-wrapped?  And so on.  If you can’t remember where to find the information or it takes more than one or two clicks to get to it, think about ways you can make it easier for your visitors to become customers.  Holiday time, like Valentine’s Day, is a great opportunity to attract new customers to your store.  Make their shopping experience with you a positive one and you may just have a new customer for life.

Today’s Task

Update the banners and landing pages in use for your Valentine’s Day to focus attention on your products and/or offers that are particularly suited to last minute shoppers. If you haven’t already done so, include on your home page and/or landing page information on your last shipping day if shoppers need delivery before Valentine’s Day.

Our next task coming up is the third email in our Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign.

Good luck!  Any questions, please use the comments section below.

	Zen Cart & E-commerce with Kerrin Hardy on Facebook   Are you on Facebook? Join us on our page as we discuss the configuration and customization of Zen Cart, help and advice for online store managers and marketing tips and tricks with a specific focus on e-commerce.   Visit the Zen Cart & E-commerce with Kerrin Hardy page on Facebook