In 2025, consumer spending for Valentine’s Day rose 7.1% year-on-year, with 47% of consumers buying gifts and an average spent on gifts of £102.4, up 5% year-on-year. Shoppers with healthier finances helped drive this growth, buying from higher-ticket categories across in-store and online. Further recovery in consumer finances through 2025 should boost engagement in the 2026 event, with opportunities to target both traditional gift buyers and a broader church of self-gifters.
Valentine’s Day shopping can be stressful, with 52% of shoppers – and 67% of those aged 16-34 – admitting that last-minute buys lead to spending more money on gifts than intended. Social media adds to this pressure, as many young shoppers compare their celebrations to those online. Creating strategies that address these pressures will help shoppers feel more confident and prepared.
For some, feeling overwhelmed means turning to AI tools for a helping hand. The emergence of agentic AI offers a powerful new way to streamline the shopping experience, simplifying everything from selecting gifts to planning events. Now is the time for retailers to integrate smaller AI tools into the shopping journey. These early steps will help consumers get comfortable with more advanced systems like agentic AI in time for high-pressure occasions like Valentine’s Day.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Analysis of consumer spending on Valentine’s Day including a breakdown of spending by category and analysis of the types of gifts given.
- An in-depth look at in-home dining trends for Valentine’s Day, including standout examples from retailers, and how retailers can elevate in-home food & drink ranges in the future.
- How gifts are purchased, key shopping behaviours and reasons why some consumers do not engage in the event.
- How innovative technology, such as agentic AI, can help relieve pressure on consumers when selecting gifts.
- Insight into the gifting trends for Valentine’s Day 2026 and how retailers can tap into them.
Valentine’s Day shopping can be overwhelming, especially when gift buying is left to the last minute. Consumers want stress-free solutions, with new technology offering a promising way to take the pressure off.
Emily Viberg, Retail analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for Valentine’s Day
- Agentic AI could take the guesswork out of Valentine’s Day gift shopping
- Three key gifting trends for Valentine’s Day 2026
- Gender-neutral packaging will help gifts work for everyone
- Matching gifting sets and bundles make self-gifting moments shareable
- Preloved gifting will get its chance to shine
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Valentine’s Day spending up 7.1%
- Graph 1: estimated spending on Valentine’s Day, 2021-25
- Consumer confidence holds steady
- Graph 2: financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- What consumers want and why
- Steady Valentine’s gifting as all forms of love are celebrated
- Graph 3: any gift purchasing for Valentine’s Day, 2021-25
- Smaller-ticket categories lead gift purchasing
- Graph 4: gifts purchased for Valentine’s Day, 2023-25
- Average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts grows 5% in 2025
- Graph 5: average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts, 2020-25
- A homemade Valentine’s Day meal is seen as a caring gesture
- Graph 6: in-home food and drink behaviours at Valentine’s Day, 2025
- Valentine’s Day gifts should be thoughtful yet affordable
- Graph 7: Valentine’s Day gift shopping behaviours, 2025
- Last-minute gift buying boosts spending on gifts
- Graph 8: concerns when shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts, 2025
- Retailer activity
- Environmentally friendly packaging remains the top claim for Valentine’s Day NPD
- Graph 9: top claims for Valentine’s Day products, 2023-25
- Eco-friendly packaging with a luxury appeal
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Valentine’s Day spending up 7.1%
- Graph 10: estimated spending on Valentine’s Day, 2021-25
- In-home food & drink accounts for 26% of Valentine’s Day spending in 2025
- Boost in Valentine’s Day gift spending from 35-54s in 2025
- Pressure of shopping for Valentine’s Day boosts spending on gifts
- Graph 11: concerns when shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts, 2025
- Re-engage younger shoppers feeling the pressure of shopping for Valentine’s Day
- Self-gifting can boost buying in higher-ticket categories
- Jewellery and watches specialists can stand out with customisation services
- Strong demand for confectionery and chocolate despite inflation
- Graph 12: behaviours related to eating and buying chocolate and sweets, 2024
- Spotlight on UPFs means ready-made Valentine’s Day meals will come under scrutiny
- Outlook for Valentine’s Day 2026
- Market drivers
- Consumer confidence holds steady…
- Graph 13: financial wellbeing index, 2016-25
- …but remains fragile amid persistent inflation
- Graph 14: inflation and wage growth, 2021-25
- Recovery in financial position has not been shared equally
- Graph 15: changes in financial situation over the past year, 2025
- Rising food & drink prices remain a key challenge for consumers
- Graph 16: consumers affected by any select issues over the last two months, 2025
- Managing household costs is a key priority
- Graph 17: activities consumers expect to do in the next two months?, 2025
- Consumer optimism for the coming year remains cautious
- Graph 18: financial confidence index, 2016-25
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Gifts purchased for Valentine’s Day
- The number buying into Valentine’s Day holds steady in 2025
- 16-34s are keenest Valentine’s Day gift buyers
- Graph 19: Valentine’s Day gift buying, by age group, 2023-25
- High earners boost gifting as low earners scale back
- Graph 20: Valentine’s Day gift buying, by household income, 2023-25
- Smaller-ticket categories lead gift purchasing
- Graph 21: Valentine’s Day gift buying, 2023-25
- 16-34s most likely to shop across both channels
- Graph 22: Valentine’s Day purchasing levels by channel, by age group, 2025
- High earners drive in-store purchasing of high-value gifts
- Graph 23: Valentine’s Day gift buying, in-store, across selected categories, by household income, 2025
- Amount spent on Valentine’s Day gifts
- Average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts grows 5% in 2025
- Graph 24: average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts, 2020-25
- 16-34s spent an average of £148 on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2025
- Graph 25: average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts, by age group, 2023-25
- Those with healthier finances are more likely to spend the most on gifts
- Graph 26: average spending on Valentine’s Day gifts, by financial situation, 2025
- Online buyers are high spenders for Valentine’s Day gifts…
- …driven by higher earners driving online gift shopping across categories
- Graph 27: Valentine’s Day gift buying online, by household income, 2025
- In-home food & drink behaviours
- In-home dining grows for Valentine’s Day 2025
- 16-34s and young families drive in-home dining at Valentine’s Day
- Graph 28: consumers who had a special meal/food at home this Valentine’s Day, by age and age of children, 2025
- Retailers go the extra mile to make in-home celebrations special
- In-home food & drink behaviours during Valentine’s Day
- 16-34s want healthier ready-made meals from retailers
- Graph 29: consumers who would like retailers to offer healthier Valentine’s Day ready-made meals, by age, 2025
- Make choosing plant-based options accessible
- Parents want healthier Valentine’s Day options
- Valentine’s Day gift shopping behviours
- Valentine’s Day gifts should be thoughtful yet affordable
- Graph 30: Valentine’s Day gift shopping behaviours, 2025
- Affordable, indulgent gifting will help buy-in from cost-conscious shoppers
- Tap into self-gifting opportunities for parents with children
- Graph 31: agreement that buying a Valentine’s Day gift for oneself makes them feel good, by parents of children, 2025
- Self-gifters are high spenders
- Lush taps into emotional gifting
- Monica Vinader makes customising gifts easy with in-store drawing tools and engraving service
- Male gift shoppers stick to gifting requests
- Concerns when shopping for Valentine’s Day gifts
- Last-minute gift buying boosts spending on gifts
- Retailers help ease last-minute shopping panic
- Last-minute gift shoppers spend more on average
- Half of gift shoppers would turn to AI for a helping hand
- Expectation of celebrating the day adds pressure on gift spending for 16-34s
- Graph 32: consumer agreement that not planning Valentine’s Day celebrations (eg meal out, day out) makes them feel pressured to spend more on gifts, by age, 2025
- Spotlight trending social media products in-store
- Why gifts were not purchased for Valentine’s Day
- Top three reasons consumers didn’t spend on Valentine’s Day 2025
- Top three reasons for not spending money on Valentine’s Day remain unchanged
- Graph 33: reasons for not spending money on Valentine’s Day gifts, 2023-25
- Boost self-gifting amongst lower earners who feel they don’t have anyone to buy for
- Dupes and cheaper look-alike products help buy-in from non-gifters
- Non-gift buyers with higher incomes are more likely to decide not to buy
- Graph 34: consumer agreement that they and their partner decided not to buy gifts this year, by income, 2025
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Valentine’s Day new product development
- Environmentally friendly packaging remains the top claim for Valentine’s Day NPD
- Graph 35: top claims for Valentine’s Day products, 2023-25
- Empower consumers to recycle with clear guidance and smart incentives
- Eco-friendly packaging with a luxury appeal
- Chocolate brands claim solar-powered manufacturing
- Valentine’s Day launches dominated by private-label claims
- Graph 36: private label vs branded new product development launches, 2023-25
- Private-label baked goods must address ultra-processed perceptions
- Beauty brands help make picture-perfect moments for date nights
- M&S leads Valentine’s Day product launches in 2025
- Graph 37: new product development for Valentine’s Day, by ultimate company, 2024-25
- M&S cheeky chocolates tap into the playful spirit of Valentine’s Day
- Gü celebrates release of Bridget Jones
- Valentine’s Day gifting trends and launch activity
- Retailers help people celebrate puppy love
- Gift shoppers look to treat themselves
- Retailers tap into matching gift bundles
- IKEA hosted in-store dates for single Londoners
- B&Q and Valspar unite to find couples’ perfect colour
- Uber Eats launches emergency break-up box
- Retailers focus on using Valentine’s Day to remind people about their health and safety
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Advertising spend in February 2025 falls 12.8%
- Graph 38: total above-the-line, online display advertising by all retailers, 2021-25
- Tesco top advertiser in February 2025 despite cutting back spend
- Graph 39: total above-the-line, online display advertising from leading retailers, 2025
- Tesco helps ‘hard launch’ couples in Valentine’s Day competition
- Morrisons highlights Valentine’s Day meal deal in catchy campaign
- Knorr and Ann Summers promote their spicy stock cubes
- Who Gives a Crap celebrates World Dump Day
- Deliveroo’s ‘My Valentine’ campaign causes backlash
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Data sources
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
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