Valentine’s Day Spurs Innovative Retail Ideas in Asia

Brands looked beyond flowers and cards this year for Valentine’s Day in Asia. Kirin Ichiban beer pushed its “bro-quet,” while Lotte Japan and Coca-Cola Istanbul encouraged shoppers to show their affection.

Who says bouquets are just for girls?

Kirin Ichiban beer partnered with Singapore online florist Bloomdale to create a “bro-quet” of beer for ladies to give to the men in their lives. The bro-quets contained 10 refreshing mini cans of Kirin Ichiban beer, meticulously hand-arranged, and were available for purchase on the Bloomdale website.

Chocolate to the rescue!

To promote its chocolate product Ghana, Lotte Japan opened a “chocolate support house,” a pop-up store in the youth shopping district of Harajuku where visitors could get lessons on how to make unique gifts out of chocolate. On February 13, there was even a “rescue corner” for girls who needed last-minute help with gifts for their boyfriends.Source: The Inspiration Room

Kiss for a couple of Cokes

Coca-Cola Istanbul installed special vending machines designed just for couples inside some of the most crowded shopping malls. For the machine to work and dispense two cans of Coca-Cola, the couple had to demonstrate their commitment to each other by displaying affection. To see it for yourself click here.

Each of these brands brought a bit of fun to the sometimes stressful Valentine’s Day experience. And, in turn, it’s likely that many of those shoppers will have more affection for those brands down the line. We as marketers must remember that, while Valentine’s Day comes but once a year, it’s important to show your shoppers a little love every day with fun and innovative products and experiences.

Contributed by Integer Singapore

Photo source: http://beerbroquet.com/

Stay tuned for more posts from Integer Singapore in the next week.