Spending on Valentine’s Day grew strongly in 2024, recovering from a poor 2023. An uptick in spending was driven by younger consumers and higher-income households, with improved confidence in this latter group allowing for more discretionary spending. This was supported by continued value-led behaviours, with consumers looking to save by celebrating at home creating strong demand for in-home dining.
- Valentine’s Day Market Size: Estimated spending on Valentine’s Day totaled £2.1 billion in 2024.
Valentine’s Day Retail Trends and Opportunities for Retailers
Just as initiatives like Green Friday have sparked creativity and are slowly reshaping how consumers view events like Black Friday, anti-Valentine’s Day movements, such as Galentine’s Day and Single’s Awareness Day, celebrated a day after, are gaining momentum and influencing how people celebrate the day.
Retailers should also extend this inclusive approach to to single-person households. Retailers like Boots have integrated self-care messaging into their Valentine’s Day campaigns, recognising the growing trend towards self-love and personal wellbeing. By showcasing products that promote pampering and self-indulgence, retailers can tap into a broader consumer desire for holistic celebration beyond traditional romantic gestures.
- Valentine’s Day Retail Trends: 62% of 16-34-year-olds bought something for themselves for Valentine’s Day.
Key Topics Featured in the Full Report
- Estimated Valentines Day market size for consumer spending.
- The outlook for Valentine’s Day 2025.
- New product development and innovations for Valentine’s Day.
- Opportunities in self-gifting for Valentine’s Day.
- Savvy shopping behaviors for Valentine’s Day.
- Consumer attitudes towards celebrating Valentine’s Day and gift shopping.
Meet the Expert
Emily Viberg is an experienced Retail analyst specialising in writing Mintel’s seasonal shopping and gifting reports.
Valentine’s Day 2025 promises optimism. Retailers should spotlight gifts that amplify the emotional significance of the event and tap into celebrating different forms of love.
Emily Viberg
Retail analyst
Collapse All
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- Key issues covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for Valentine’s Day
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: estimated spending on Valentine’s Day, 2020-24
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 2: any gift purchasing for Valentine’s Day, 2021-24
- Graph 3: average spent on Valentine’s Day gifts, 2020-24
- Graph 4: savvy Valentine’s Day shopping behaviours, 2024
- Graph 5: Valentine’s Day sentiments, 2024
- Graph 6: reasons why Valentine’s Day was not celebrated, 2023-24
- Retailer activity
- Graph 7: top 10 claims for Valentine’s Day products, 2022-24
- Graph 8: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by all retailers in February, 2019-24
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Graph 9: factors influencing choice of chocolate product, 2023
- Graph 10: purchasing levels of cut flowers and houseplants, 2019/20-2023/24
- Graph 11: spending levels on cut flowers and houseplants, 2019/20-2023/24
- Macroeconomic factors
- Graph 12: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Graph 13: “Have you been affected by any of these issues over the last two months?”, 2024
- Graph 14: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 15: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Graph 16: “Are you expecting to do any of the following as a result of rising prices? Please select all that apply.”, 2023
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Valentine’s Day 2024 gift purchasing
- Graph 17: any gift purchase for Valentine’s Day, 2021-24
- Graph 18: Valentine’s Day purchasing levels by channel, 2023-24
- Graph 19: Valentine’s Day gift buying online, 2023-24
- Graph 20: Valentine’s Day gift buying, by age, 2024
- Graph 21: Valentine’s Day gift buying, by resident parent of children under 16, 2024
- Valentine’s Day spending in 2023
- Graph 22: average spent on Valentine’s Day gifts, 2020-24
- Graph 23: Valentine’s Day gift spending, by household income, 2023-24
- Savvy Valentine’s Day shopping behaviours
- Graph 24: “I used flexible payment options to buy Valentine’s Day gifts this year”, by age, 2024
- Graph 25: “I think having a takeaway for Valentine’s Day can be just as special as having a meal at a restaurant/pub”, by presence of children in the household, 2024
- Attitudes towards Valentine’s Day and gift shopping
- Graph 26: “I think there is less pressure to do something special for Valentine’s Day when you are in a relationship “, by presence of children in the household, 2024
- Reasons why Valentine’s Day was not celebrated in 2024
- Graph 27: reasons why Valentine’s Day was not celebrated, 2023-24
- Graph 28: reasons why they don’t celebrate Valentine’s day, by age, 2024
- Graph 29: “I don’t have anyone to buy gifts for”, by age, 2024
- Graph 30: “My partner and I decided not to buy gifts this year”, by presence of children in the household, 2024
- Graph 31: “I think it’s a waste of money”, by household income, 2024
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Retailer Activity
- Valentine’s Day retailer innovations and launch activity
- Valentine’s Day new product development
- Graph 32: top 10 claims for Valentine’s Day products, 2022-24
- Graph 33: private label vs branded new product development launches, 2022-24
- Graph 34: new product development for Valentine’s Day, by ultimate company, 2022-24
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Graph 35: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by all retailers in February, 2019-24
- Graph 36: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure by leading retailers in February, 2024
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
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