The one day of the year that celebrates romantic love is an opportunity for brands and retailers to up their game in getting shoppers to spend in the name of love. One of the best ways to do so is to create effective POSM displays.

While some of the tactics employed for POSM display designs work only on Valentine’s Day, some can actually prove useful all year round.

Here are 5 lessons that we’ve picked up while shopping on the day of love:

Deals for the last-minute shoppers

There will always be folks who forgot about Valentine’s Day until the day before Valentine’s Day. In a fit of panic, they’ll hurry to the departmental store closest to them for ideas on the gifts they could get for their significant other, not before digging around online.

Which is why it’s often a good idea for brands to create POSM displays with clear offers made just for these last-minute shoppers. They would ideally feature affordable and foolproof gifts that may not be the most thoughtful but are enough to spare them of their blushes.

Brands and retailers would also do well to supplement these POSM displays with an online equivalent on their website landing page or on social media.

Don’t feel guilty dialing up on cheesy

Trying to be different on Valentine’s Day is not the wisest idea, unless brands and retailers have an idea on how to stand out so markedly that they can’t help but be noticed by shoppers.

For the others, it’s best to stick with the cheesy displays: heart shapes, various shades of red and pink, rose petals, as well as various ways of saying ‘Celebrate the season of love’. If it isn’t broken, just go along and don’t fix it.

Instagram is your best friend

One thing folks love to do during Valentine’s Day: posting photos of the occasion with their loved ones in special, romantic settings. So why not give them something unique for them to take the photos they were already going to take, with your branding included for that extra injection of awareness.

Selfie booths help shoppers engage with your brand in-person, depending on how appealing your setup is. It can go from as simple as a cardboard frame to an eye-catching installation or an elaborate indoor monument, but the key to its appeal is how good it would ultimately look on social media – yours and theirs.

Valentine’s Day isn’t only for lovers

Not all who celebrate the occasion are in a romantic relationship or married. In fact, even those in romantic relationships do celebrate with their parents, single friends and even their pets.

This means that brands and retailers can do a lot with their seasonal POSM merchandising as well as the messaging that goes along with it. Why only put up special displays for couples when shoppers want to buy something special for other loved ones too?

As long as there are a variety of ways people show love to each other, there is room for creative POSM displays that buck the trend of only gifting to your romantic partner.

Valentine’s Day is ultimately an experience

Gifts are only one part of the occasion. Semi-decent restaurants are typically packed and good ones are normally fully booked up for this special day before January. What completes the occasion is the experience of it.

Much like selfie booths, brands and retailers can make their POSM displays an experience for shoppers. This doesn’t mean that they are necessarily going to be converted into customers, but closely engaging with your displays would at least boost brand recall.

Lessons on love in retail

When it comes to a day where shoppers look for ways to express their love, their lives can be made so much easier depending on what they see while on the hunt for the right goods.

As such, there are plenty of opportunities for brands and retailers to shine during Valentine’s Day via POSM displays. Each display speaks to shoppers in a different way, depending on how it’s designed and placed.