San Francisco — A Shopkick, Inc. survey finds that 79 percent of consumers plan to make Valentine’s Day purchases at least a week before February 14, with 87 percent reporting they will be shopping in-store this year.
The shopping rewards app company notes that while the start of the 2022 has been unpredictable, American shoppers still plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving gifts, with 33 percent saying they will make their purchases two to three weeks ahead of the holiday.
Conducted between January 10 and 13, the survey found that 67 percent of consumers are planning to give gifts, with the majority taking the traditional route by purchasing Valentine’s Day cards (60 percent) and candy (59 percent). Clothing and accessories (26 percent), gift cards (26 percent), food items (24 percent) and flowers (21 percent) are also on shopping lists.
“Consumers fully plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year and are shopping in-store to find the right gifts for their loved ones,” says Brittany Billings, EVP, strategic markets & marketing at Shopkick. “For the next couple of weeks leading up to the holiday, retailers should be prepared for foot traffic, and offer a pleasant and safe in-store experience.”
Other key findings include:
Not Just The Thought That Counts: Cost is top of mind for nearly half (49 percent) of Valentine’s Day gift-givers, but other considerations include style (21 percent), brand and value alignment (19 percent), and convenience of delivery (11 percent).
Some Splurge, Some Save: The majority of consumers (63 percent) plan to spend about the same amount of money on Valentine’s Day this year as they did last year, however, the 19 percent who plan to spend more say it is because they want to make up for not being able to fully celebrate last year (31 percent). Those who plan to spend less (18 percent) are doing so because their finances have been impacted and they need to budget (49 percent).
Tokens of Love: When it comes to how much consumers are anticipating to spend this Valentine’s Day, 50 percent say $50 or less. Other consumers plan to spend between $51 and $100 (23 percent), $101 and $150 (9 percent), or over $151 (8 percent).
“Buy” My Valentine: Swapping Valentine’s at school is a tradition that lives on according to more than half of consumers (52 percent), but most parents (81 percent) are buying them for their kiddos rather than making them by hand (19 percent).
