Valentine's Day email calendar.
Start Valentine's Day emails about three weeks before 14 February, with the gift guide first and the delivery cutoff in every email. Most of the revenue risk is shipping, not copy, so state the last order date clearly and send a final reminder before it passes.
Key dates
- 2026: Saturday 14 February
- 2027: Sunday 14 February
Last reviewed 12 October 2026. Dates are calculated from the rule for the day, so they stay correct each year.
Why it matters.
Valentine's Day buyers are often shopping for someone else, which means they need help choosing and certainty that the gift will arrive in time. A good gift guide and a visible cutoff do more than clever subject lines.
It is also a day when some of your subscribers would rather not be reminded of it. A short opt out of the theme, linking to the preferences page, is kind and costs very little.
Send plan.
1. 25 days before
Confirm stock, shipping cutoffs and the offer, then brief the gift guide and a self gift angle.
2. 18 days before
Send the gift guide to the full engaged list.
3. 10 days before
Send a second email by price band or recipient, to people who clicked the first.
4. Carrier cutoff day
Send a last order for delivery by the day email, with the cutoff in the subject line.
5. Day itself
Send digital gift cards or a last minute option to people who have not bought.
Before you send.
- Pull the real last order dates from each carrier and write them into every email.
- Check that gift wrap, notes and gift card options work at checkout.
- Tag subscribers who opted out of themed emails and exclude them.
- Test the gift guide links on a phone, since many gift shoppers browse there.
- Make sure stock for the hero products can cover a spike.
Segments to use.
- Past buyers of gifts or giftable products
- Customers who bought the same category last February
- Clickers on the gift guide who have not ordered
Subject line ideas.
- Gifts that arrive before the 14th
- For them, not for the algorithm
- The last day to order for delivery
- Left it late? A gift card works too
More in the sale and promotion subject line library.
Common mistakes.
- Promising delivery by the day without checking carrier cutoffs
- Using the same heart themed template for everyone, including subscribers who opted out of the theme
- Forgetting a self gift angle, which is a real and growing audience
This is a planning structure, not a promise of results. Your offer, stock, list and shipping options decide what is right, so test and adjust.
Want this planned and built for you? See our klaviyo email marketing service or book a free audit.
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