Valentine’s Day Selling Guide

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love of all kinds. People of all ages love to show others they care on this holiday. Many couples also use the holiday to reaffirm their love for each other.

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to make sales if you’re well prepared. It’s important to know what customers are looking for, what they usually buy, what they spend, and even how people celebrate around the world. Luckily, this Valentine’s Day print-on-demand selling guide contains all that and more.

History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day has a complicated, and bloody, history. The holiday is to celebrate St. Valentine, the question is, which St. Valentine? That’s right, there is more than one!

Officially, the Catholic Church recognizes three different saints that have the name Valentine or Valentinus.

In one story, Valentine is a saint in third-century Rome that got caught breaking the rules. Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he wanted more dedicated soldiers going to war. A wife or family was a distraction.

Valentine didn’t like this and performed marriages in secret. He was caught and killed.

In a different story, Valentine was trying to help Christians escape Roman prisons. According to this story, Valentine sent the first “valentine” to a young girl, potentially a jailor’s daughter, who visited him while in prison. Before his death, it’s thought that he wrote her a letter and signed it “From your Valentine.”

While it’s unknown which is the true origin of Valentine’s Day, both stories feature a person that died for love. The date of Valentine’s Day is to honor the day of his death and burial.

One Holiday Replacing Another

Another theory about Valentine’s Day is that the holiday was created to “Christianize” the pagan celebration Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

Valentine’s Day Fun Facts

• English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a romantic celebration in 1375
• Mass-produced valentines didn’t appear until the 1840s
• Giving flowers for Valentine’s Day has been a tradition since the 17th century
• The first heart-shaped box appeared in 1861
• Hallmark made their first Valentine’s card in 1913

Why You Should Invest in Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is an extremely profitable holiday. In 2021, around 21.8 billion dollars was spent on this one holiday! A person, on average, will spend around 165 dollars. Where do they get these gifts? They get them from small businesses, online stores, big stores, and discounted stores.

You have the unique opportunity of being both a small business and being online. By having the right products, you’ll be able to have a lot of sales and get new regular customers. We have a few examples of some Valentine’s Day print-on-demand products that are sure to get a customer’s attention.

Valentine’s Day Print-On-Demand Product and Marketing Ideas

It’s important to know who you’re customers are buying for. Their partner is obvious, but there are other people in their life they might want to get a gift for.

Pet Beds

More and more people are buying gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day. It makes sense because more and more people see their pets as family members. A lot of customers would love to get a heart-covered pet bed for their little furry friend.

Pet Bed Details

• • Two options: indoor and outdoor versions
  • Design printed on top
  • The indoor bed is made of soft fleece
  • The indoor bed has a brown bottom
  • The outdoor bed is made of water-resistant polyester
  • The outdoor bed has a black bottom
  • The cover is machine washable
  • Insert included
  • Insert is hand wash only
  • The cover features a zipper to make it easier to take off

Marketing Idea

Social media is perfect for pet lovers. People love to post photos of their pets on social media. Make sure to have lots of photos of the pet bed and links to where people can buy it. Talk about how cute their pet will look all curled up on this bed.

If you can afford it, boost your posts so as many people as possible see it.

Stickers

Stickers are a great Valentine’s Day gift idea for any customers with kids in their lives. Stickers are an inexpensive way to get an entire classroom gifts without breaking the bank.

Sticker Details

• • Kiss-cut
  • Choose between vertically orientated, horizontally oriented, or bumper stickers
  • Made of white vinyl
  • Features a satin finish
  • Water-resistant
  • UV resistant
  • Easy to remove
  • Leaves no residue
  • Bubble free
  • Microwave safe
  • Greenguard certified
  • Has a thickness of 4 millimeters
  • Ink is water-based, semi-gloss, and latex

Marketing Idea

Focus on Instagram for stickers. Being image-focused, stickers will grab people’s attention easily. Instagram has a wide range of users, meaning you can reach a wide range of people. Try to take dynamic photos of your stickers or even photos with the stickers on items.

Mugs

Mugs are always a great gift for the adults in a customer’s life. Whether it’s for a friend, family member, or even a teacher, mugs make a great gift. While having a Valentine’s Day design on it, it can be used year-round!

Mug Details

• • Microwave and dishwasher safe
  • Passed all FDA tests
  • Two sizes: 11 and 15 ounces

Marketing Idea

Focus on Facebook for this type of product. Older people like using this platform and would be the ones that have adults in their life they want to get gifts for. As always make sure to have high-quality images and links to your store.

If you want to do even more, you can create an email campaign targeting people looking for gift ideas.

Floor Pillow Cover

Some people love to decorate for different holidays and Valentine’s Day is no different. Create a fun Valentine’s Day design on our floor pillow cover and you have a bestseller on your hands! If you choose to, you can even cross-sell with other home products and create an entire Valentine’s Day collection.

Floor Pillow Cover Details

• • Designs show on both sides
  • Features a concealed zipper
  • Comes in 3 sizes (in inches): 28X28, 36X36, 40X40
  • Made of spun polyester
  • Pillow not included
  • Machine washable

Marketing Ideas

Do an email campaign focusing on decorating the home for Valentine’s Day. Have lots of images of the pillow cover throughout the home. Talk about why people need your pillow cover. Make sure to start early, like mid-January to start this email campaign.

How Other Places in World Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Places all around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day in many different ways. Though love is always a big part of it.

Mexico

Valentine’s Day is known as Day of Lovers or Day of Love and Friendship. Both romantic and platonic relationships are celebrated with flowers and candies.

Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea

Women give men chocolate on Valentine’s Day in these countries. The quality of the chocolate is equated to their feelings. Giri-choco is chocolate meant for friends and male coworkers, while Honmei-choco is chocolate to give to their crush. Men return the favor a month later on White Day. 

Denmark

Denmark is new to celebrating Valentine’s Day, they didn’t start until the 90s. They celebrate in a slightly different way. Instead of cards or chocolate, they send folded or pressed white flowers called snowdrops. They also add more humor to their cards and keep things anonymous.

France

France has always been celebrating this holiday, though the focus is on couples versus other types of loving relationships.

Germany

This country didn’t start celebrating Valentine’s Day until after World War II. American soldiers stationed in the country influenced the native population.

They don’t give cards, instead, they give sweets to each other. A popular choice is a heart-shaped gingerbread cookie with a message on it. There is usually a ribbon attached to the cookie so it can be worn before being eaten.

Philippines

In the Phillippines, people get mass married! Hundreds of people will gather to get married or renew their vows all at the same time.

Portugal

In Portugal, men give women a gift basket of gourmet treats and women give men a basket of their favorite liquor.

Ireland

Many people in Ireland will go to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Dublin, which supposedly has the original relics of the saint.

Got to Love This Holiday

This holiday is so much fun and people can get so creative with it. From its unlikely origins to how people celebrate it all around the world, there are many ways to give and receive. If you play your cards right, you’ll make lots of sales and gain new customers.