spite being in the business of flowers; which organically benefits from Valentine’s Day’s traditional messaging – Lvly has taken a proactive approach to marketing surrounding the date to encourage different consumer behaviours on February 14. Inside Retail spoke with Cooper about the brand’s considerate customer-led marketing initiatives, consumer trends and stepping into bricks-and-mortar retail. Inside Retail: What is Lvly’s marketing strategy around Valentine’s Day 2025? Soniya Cooper: Our marketing strategy this Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love in all its forms and to do that, we’ve collaborated with everyone’s OG comfy love – Bonds. The campaign included two in-store activations with Bonds in Bondi, New South Wales and Chadstone in Victoria on February 8. The in-store activations are a great way to bring Lvly; a pureplay e-commerce brand into physical retail stores in key locations nationally. This year we wanted to get a little more heartfelt and remind everyone that love is celebrated every day. As a brand for every Aussie, Bonds was the perfect partner to celebrate love in all its forms – because love exists at every age, no matter who you are or who you love – it’s for everyone. We felt like it was the perfect pairing of Aussie businesses taking life less seriously, and making the small moments matter. For a playful and cheeky take on the Valentine’s Day tradition, our ‘Hey there Lover’ bundle speaks to a lover of any kind, featuring the limited-edition new Bonds Valentine’s Day print adorned on Lvly’s iconic Flower Jar. In 2025 we also launched our first above-the-line campaign with billboards and we’re involved in a proposal too. It’s these moments that make it all worthwhile – our florists and teams are all working incredibly hard and around the clock –  all in the name of love. As with all of our Valentine’s Day campaigns, we sent out an option to opt out, as some people might have just gone through a breakup or Valentine’s Day is just not their thing. This year more than 200 people opted out – many just thankful we give them the opportunity to do so.  Lvly’s Thoughtful Marketing Movement was formed back in 2021 and it’s so great to see so many other brands doing the same. For Mother’s Day last year we had more than 240 people opt out and over 400 opt out for Father’s Day. We’ve been overwhelmed by how positively our customers have responded to our approach – our customer service team has been inundated with messages of thanks and support. It’s a great feeling to know that you’re making a positive impact in people’s lives. IR: Have you noticed any trends with the pre-orders for Valentine’s Day 2025? Why do you think this is? SC: We’ve noticed a continuing increase in personalisation, which is what really sets Lvly apart from other flower and gifting brands. It was actually the inspiration for our billboards this year. A common theme we noticed was lovers saying “You have a cute butt” on our flower jars. Imagine unboxing that on Valentine’s Day – it’s going to make you smile right? So we decided to make billboards out of this and remind everyone to tell their partners they have a cute butt. It’s equal parts cheeky, and heartfelt, and would make someone’s day – just how we like it over here at Lvly. IR: How has Lvly’s approach to Valentine’s Day evolved over the years? SC: Collaborations are at the heart of what we do. Last Valentine’s Day we collaborated with Kylie Minogue and Kylie Minogue Wines to celebrate all the lovers. It was a huge pinch-me moment for our team, and we even got to meet her in Sydney. For Valentine’s Day in 2023, we launched two designs for our flower jars with international artist Luke John Matthew Arnold and kick-started our trend of ‘colourful sweary jars’. And over 500 people said “I just f*cking love you” for Valentine’s Day 2023 as a result of this campaign – another proud moment for our fun-loving crew. IR: Has there been an uptake of Galentine’s orders this year? SC: The majority of the orders we’re seeing are being sent to people’s respective partners, but we’ve noticed a trend in people sending gifts to multiple people. Flowers are still one of the most popular choices for expressing affection. According to Australia’s National Retail Association (NRA) and Floral Industry Australia around 40 per cent of Australians gave flowers as a gift for Valentine’s Day in 2024. However, some people want to send flowers to their partners and something completely different to their friends. Our sweet tooth category is always popular for non-traditional gifts, we launched explosion boxes this year with –  hands down – the most delicious brownie on this planet. Our Polaroid bundles are always popular at this time because it’s such a great way to add a personal touch or special memory, There are also plants, we have such a great selection of plants and ceramic pots that people love sending to their friends as a long-lasting gift. Last year, the most common message people chose to put on their personalised plants to their lovers and friends was ‘Take your plants off’. IR: How does the retail period surrounding Valentine’s Day stack up for Lvly? Are there busier sales periods? SC: Valentine’s Day is like the grand finale for the flower industry – ahead of Mother’s Day that is. They are the two biggest sales periods on our retail calendar. This year Lvly’s pre-orders are tracking 15 per cent above where we expected them to be which is very promising.