The weekend before Valentine's Day, we asked 500 people for their views on Valentine's Day, what they plan on doing, and most importantly what they expect from retailers.
We found that the majority of respondents view Valentine's Day as a day of harmless fun, as well as a special time to show love to a partner.
Around half are going to celebrate Valentine's Day with a gift and there's an almost 25% increase in gift buying compared to last year.
Despite hard times, most shoppers plan to spend the same amount on Valentine's day.
Chocolate
People are planning on spending a bit more on Chocolate and Flowers this year.
There is a net increase of 16% saying they will be more likely to buy Chocolate compared to last year. Over 50%, however, would like to spend between £5-£10.
There is a close match between gifts that people plan to give and what they would also like to receive, with Cards, Flowers, Chocolate, and a 'special meal in' proving the most popular.
A considerable 70% of shoppers would prefer that any chocolate gift would come in dedicated Valentine's Day gift wrapping.
Alcohol
Sparkling wine varieties such as Champagne and Prosecco proved to be the most popular choice for those buying alcoholic products for Valentine's Day. Regular wine was also a popular choice, with 37% saying they were most likely to choose it.
Nearly 50% of respondents said that they would like to choose a wine or spirit that came in a special Valentine's Day gift wrap or gift set.
There's plenty more to unpack from our Valentine's day survey, including a follow-up in-store survey. If you'd like to look at the results in more detail, please contact us or book a meeting so we can present our findings in more depth.