The snows have come, and they will be with us for a while. While this may have a negative impact on bricks and mortar stores in parts of the country that have snow, it offers a great opportunity to all shop owners. Many shoppers increase their browsing and shopping on line during these times when it is cold and the weather outside is frightful, and that can make for some delightful sales opportunities.

Valentine’s Day is the next big gift buying occasion. While you can not anticipate the taste and desires of all the sweethearts out there, some items always are in demand for Valentine’s Day.

Jewelry has always been a popular selection for this holiday. Heart shaped jewelry and pieces featuring heart shaped stones are an obvious choice. Other motifs of love-flowers and Cupids come to mind-should not be overlooked. Pink, red, and purple, the passionate colors, are often used as colors for Valentine’s items. Garnet, Ruby, and Amethyst come to mind, but the gem world offers other gems in these colors as well.

Are all your jewelry items that feature these stones and motifs on display in your Ruby Lane shop?

Have you added some of them to your featured items, so they will appear regularly on your shop Home page?

Have you added some text to the description that points out what a wonderful gift idea this piece is for Valentine’s Day?

Have you kept track of what items have this text, so you can remove it later? Few things make an item appear dated quite as well as a message for an expired Holiday.

Have you checked to see if any of these items are on your shopper’s wish lists?

Have you sent them a comment, if possible, pointing out the upcoming holiday?

Do you have a special message prepared to add to your Shop Introduction/Promotional Event field, letting everyone know that you have some great items for Valentine’s Day?

These methods don’t just apply to jewelry. If it has a heart, flower, or Cupid, a connection to Valentine’s Day can be made. Prints of Cupid, china with Forget-Me-Nots, heart shaped pieces, antique silver with beautiful repousse floral patterns, glass and pottery in shades of pink, red, and purple are just a few possibilities. All offer marketing opportunities for this holiday.

There are some other events to keep in mind for February and March. Chinese New Year occurs on February 10 this year, and it will be the Year of the Snake. While the idea of a snake motif gift may not appeal to all, there are some beautiful Victorian and Egyptian Revival pieces with snake motifs. St. Patrick’s Day is on March 17, and all things Celtic, Irish, and Green are popular. Spring follows a few days later, continuing the green theme. Easter occurs on the last day of March. Spring items, such as flowers and bunnies, are popular secular items, and crosses , medals, and other religious items are popular with many shoppers. A number of items can be promoted for all three occasions: St. Patrick’s Day, the return of Spring, and Easter.

Be sure to take advantage of every holiday and gift giving occasion. Shops with jewelry items should always make sure that items in the appropriate birthstone for a month get on the shop home page by the start of the appropriate month. Shops that make items for the Artisan Jewelry Lane have an advantage here, as they can select the gemstones being used in new creations and make sure they have a nice selection of items featuring birthstones.

Consider price adjustments on items that have been in stock for a while, and don’t overlook the Ruby Red Tag Sales for marketing your older inventory. Spring will be here before you know it, and you can head off to the sales and auctions to replenish your inventory with new old items.