Let’s be real: January is often a hangover for ecommerce. But Valentine’s Day? That’s the hair of the dog.

It is the first high-intent buying moment of the year. Customers aren’t window shopping or waiting for a discount code. They are buying with purpose, driven by emotion, and terrified of a hard deadline. In a quarter where paid acquisition costs are still stinging, that combination is rare.

But if you’re just running a "Valentine's Sale" to spike revenue for 24 hours, you’re missing the point.

The Real Money is in the Recipient

‍Most Valentine’s campaigns are obsessed with the checkout. But the highest-leverage moment happens after the delivery.

That is the moment a net-new customer (the recipient) holds your product in their hands. They are engaged, emotionally primed, and fully trusting of the brand because their partner/friend/crush introduced them to it.

If you don't engage them, it’s just a one-off sale.
If you do, it’s a zero-CAC customer acquisition.

High-Performing Brands Play the Long Game

‍The brands winning Q1 aren't treating Valentine's as a spike; they are treating it as a system test.

• They automate the connection: Using Giftnote to send timed, digital gift messages via SMS and email.
• They capture the data: Collecting recipient opt-ins before the physical package even arrives.
• They close the loop: Triggering specific Klaviyo flows to turn that recipient into a second-time purchaser.

Valentine’s is where your gifting strategy proves whether it’s built for scale.

The Smarter Valentine’s Campaign Checklist

Use this 7-step framework to build a campaign that captures data, not just dollars.

01. Pick Your Battles (Strategy)
Don't slap a heart on everything. Identify the SKUs that are actually gifted (check your historical "ship to different address" data). Prioritize high-margin bundles that look good in a box

02. Kill the Friction (UX)
Panic buyers hate friction. Ensure your "Send as a Gift" button is prominent on the PDP and Cart. Make the message field impossible to miss so they don't abandon cart out of frustration.

03. Automate the Sentiment (Tech)
Ditch the handwritten notes you can't scale. Use Giftnote to schedule a digital reveal (SMS/Email) that lands exactly when the gift does. This ensures the emotional connection lands, even if the courier is late.

04. Capture the "Other" Customer (Data)
This is non-negotiable. Configure Giftnote to capture the recipient's email and phone number upon digital delivery. This turns a "guest" into a "profile."

05. The Welcome Series (Retention)
Don't send the recipient your generic "Welcome" flow. Create a specific Valentine's Recipient flow:

• Email 1: "Hope you love it! Here’s how to use it."
• Email 2 (3 days later): "Want a refill? Here’s 10% off."

06. Measure the Lift (Analytics)
Revenue is vanity; Acquisition is sanity. Track "Gifted Orders" separately. More importantly, track the recipient's conversion rate over the next 60 days.

07. Rinse and Repeat
What works on Feb 14th will work on Mother’s Day. Document the wins, fix the leaks, and keep the gifting engine running all year.

Be ready to capture recipients before Valentine’s traffic hits.

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