How important is the 14th of February for a marketplace? Obviously, above all else, it depends on national customs. Valentine’s Day is a key celebration for e-commerce markets across the globe, but not for all of them. There are some nations where it is not even allowed. Iran and Indonesia, to name a few, are zones where the celebration is controversial as it is considered to be misaligned with local traditions. The Russian government is also wary of this romantic holiday, so they have replaced the foreign festival with a local one. Meet Saints Peter and Fevronia’s Day, the official Russian Valentines celebration.
A(lmost a) global celebration
[Valentine’s Day on Rakuten, Japan]
The festival had Italian origins and was popularised in British culture by Shakespeare and Chaucer. Today
Valentine’s Day is a day for love and affection even in
Japan (Rakuten), Korea and Taiwan – but do expect different habits here. In Korea and Japan, for example, there are two Valentine’s Days: one on the regular 14th of February – when women give a gift, mostly chocolate, to their sweethearts and a second day in March or July when men offer presents to their valentines. So if you are running an e-commerce site in these markets, think about your “Ideas for her” section a little bit more.
Love score: 8
Italians do it better… maybe
[Valentine’s Day on Amazon IT]
When it comes to love, Italians are pretty famous. But is Valentine’s Day still a big thing in the country of Romeo and Juliet? According to the
Amazon IT home page, it is not the most important thing. The “Negozio di San Valentino 2017” (the festival section) doesn’t have a banner on the home page, just a plain link at the top-right of the page. Of course, you can find dedicated discounted goods, but to be honest, they are not very romantic. Would you choose a hair dryer or a router as a Valentines’ gift?
Love score: 6
Handmade Valentines
[Amazon UK is celebrating Valentine’s Day]
The Valentine’s Day section on
Amazon UK is more dedicated to love and affection. You can easily find a Valentine’s Day
Amazon Story with a very sharp focus on
handmade gifts. There you will find sweet gifts for her or him, especially jewellery, and a section dedicated to handmade gifts from all around the world. The marketplace team has also created a smart way to engage with singles: think about their pets and you can solve the apparent problem of the increasing number of singles and Valentine’s Day offers.
Love score: 6.5
Valentine’s Day is real in the UK
[Valentine’s Day on Not on the High Street]
Valentine’s Day seems to be a big thing for those on the English marketplace,
Not On The High Street. The entire home page is devoted to romantic items, and there is even a special collection called ‘Love Is Real’ designed for the occasion. The e-commerce team have made sure to
include singles into the celebration’s spirit, thanks to an innovative idea: the
Palentine’s gift (aka a Valentine gift for a friend). They also added the Lust List and an Experiences section: there’s something for everyone. On top of that, they organised the page sections by budgets: 100, 50 or 30-pound gifts to make the purchase easy and smooth. Lovely!
Love score: 9
Asos: the play hard-to-get one
[Asos on Valentine’s Day]
If you think that people who buy on
Asos might be interested in Valentine’s gifts, be ready for some surprises. Both the
Italian and British marketplaces have just a mild reminder about “dating time”. On Asos, a significant thing to notice is that there is no sharp division between genders: presents for everyone can be found in both for her and him section. Yes, boundaries are getting blurred.
Love score: 5
If you are interested in boosting your online sales or would like further information on how Pentagon works with global marketplaces to increase brand awareness, give the team a call on +44 (0)20 8940 5392 or email: hello@wearepentagon.com
