Beauty retailer preps for Valentine’s Day sales boost

Heather McIlvaine

14th Feb 2017

Valentine’s Day may not have had a big sales impact in the past, but Australian online beauty retailer RY.com.au says the ‘holiday’ is starting to gain traction as more people purchase online.

“It’s easier than ever to purchase on mobile now, which we think has made a big impact [on sales],” RY’s co-founder James Patten told Internet Retailing.

“You probably wouldn’t see much difference at your local fishing and camping store but as a beauty, hair and skin retailer we definitely notice an increase in trade.”

Electrical brands such as ghd and Cloud 9 tend to do well around Valentine’s Day, according to Patten. And specially-packaged items also see a big uplift.

“For example, the most popular Valentine’s Day product this year is our new Lime Crime trio set of liquid-to-matt lipsticks, which are packaged in colourful rose-shaped tins.

“These have been flying off the shelves over the past week, and I would say probably not because of how great the product is but because roses and romance go hand-in-hand.”

RY’s data suggest that male shoppers pay particular attention to packaged goods, while female shoppers go straight to the product category and spend more time comparing brands, ingredients and prices.

But Valentine’s Day gift-giving now goes beyond traditional couples. RY’s customer service team has anecdotal evidence of female shoppers looking for Valentine’s Day gifts to give to single friends.

“Particularly with younger generations, it’s about telling and showing those close to you just how much you care,” Patten said.

This trend is certainly helping to boost the date’s impact on retailers’ top line, though Patten keeps it in perspective.

“We don’t expect Valentine’s Day to compete with these kinds of Xmas figures but the sales are expected to be the cherry on-top of an already strong start to the year for RY,” he said.

In order to maximise on the day, RY ensures that its buying, customer service and warehousing teams are all on the same page.

“It’s all about communication when we expect larger than normal sales,” Patten said.