Valentines Day Insights

In 2019, Valentine's Day was worth an astonishing £1.54billion to the UK market as 44% of British consumers bought a gift for their other half (Google/Mintel).

According to Google, Valentine's Day search queries grew +28% YoY in 2019, with consumers beginning their search for gifts and restaurants over a month in advance. This means UK consumers will already be searching for the perfect gift for the romantic day. To capture shoppers at all stages of the retail journey, brands need to be visible... early!

The way in which consumers are searching is changing too. Many consumers are shifting towards using 'Generic' search terms as oppose to "Brand Terms". Searches within the following categories have all seen YoY growth in comparison to 2018:

- Cards (+6%)
- Chocolate (+10%)
- Jewellery (+4%)
- Perfumes (+11%)
- Clothes & Footwear (+8%)

This means if you're a retail marketer, you should make sure that you've added generic terms to your keyword lists. To show your customers ads with relevant messaging to their search query, add Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) to all ad groups.

Unsurprisingly, more consumers are searching with their mobile phones - 58% of Valentine's Day related queries were made on a mobile, with mobile searches growing 12% YoY. Therefore ensuring your website is mobile responsive will be key this Valentine's Day.

Clicks from Shopping Ads have also increased YoY:

Clothes & Footwear (+61%)
Jewellery (+36%)
Flowers (+57%)
Perfumes (29%)
Cards (+41%)
Chocolates (+143%)
Wines (+63%)

To take advantage of this, make sure shopping feeds are well optimised and enable Smart Shopping campaigns to maximise clicks and sales. Switching to a Smart Bidding strategy that's based on your specific business goals will also help to drive profits, to find out more about Smart Bidding, check out our 'Total Guide to Smart Bidding' blog.

In summary, to maximise your sales this Valentine's Day, remember to: