Valentine’s Day campaigns boost importance of supporting local businesses
Love is in the air as greeting card retailers are already getting hearts pumping for the year’s big romantic event, helped by the GCA’s free downloadable POS along with BIRA’s campaign championing the High Street.
Aiming to make 14 February as lovestruck as a mid-week date is possible, retailers are going for it to get people in the mood with stunning window displays and social media fire power for the first seasonal event of the year.
Aiming to add fuel to the passion of buying Valentine’s Day greeting cards, the GCA has produced some stunning free POS, social media and email sign-off graphics, and a 13-second reel, this year created by council member Rebecca Green, co-owner of Raspberry Blossom. All elements are available to download from the GCA website by clicking here.
Brits bought over 20million Valentine’s cards in 2022, according to the GCA’s annual report – which also revealed the romantic missives cost an average of £2.38, totalling an incredible £48million!
Also contributing to driving the big love picture, for the second successive year the British Independent Retailers’ Association (BIRA) has unveiled its Show Some Love initiative which coincides with Valentine’s Day to strengthen the love for local businesses and the importance of supporting them.
The association is encouraging all retailers, whether members or not, to download and print the campaign posters and flyers, strategically placing them in windows, on counters, or even slipping them into shopping bags with every purchase!
It also wants shops to engage on social media by sharing the campaign images and videos as well as using the hashtags #LoveYourHighStreet and #BiraShowSomeLove, and BIRA will reciprocate the love by sharing and mentioning retailers in ongoing support.
Open to all retailers whether members of not, Bira offers a comprehensive bundle of resources and information in a toolkit covering social media assets for Facebook and Instagram, A3 and A4 posters, an A5 flyer, and a complimentary guide on effective customer marketing.
BIRA ceo Andrew Goodacre said: “We know that High Streets and our shops need additional support in the face of anticipated challenges in 2024. Recognising the upcoming hurdles, we want to offer extra support to our indies.
“Valentine’s Day marks a pivotal moment in the new year’s calendar for retailers, and this campaign aims to empower them to market themselves more effectively than ever.”
