Updated February 09, 2012
Valentine's Day is one of the major spending holidays in the U.S. for consumers, and one of the major events on the retail shopping calendar. Each year, the annual Valentine's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey conducted by the BIGinsight for the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts how much consumers will buy into the Valentine's Day holiday, and for those who participate, how much they will buy.
A comparison between the pre-recession year of 2007, the recession year of 2008 and the post-recession years of 2011 and 2012 not only reveals consuming trends for Valentine's Day holiday in general, it also reveals general trends about the state of the US economy. Trends in where consumers shop, what kind of gifts they buy, and how much they're willing to participate in Valentine's day have shifted since 2007, but overall the way that U.S. consumers buy their love on Valentine's Day remains much the same.
What follows are some of the key results of the NRF Valentine's Day consumer spending survey, which reveal where consumers plan to focus their attention in the weeks before Valentine's Day and how members of the U.S. retail and restaurant industry need to shift along with consumers in order to capture their attention and a significant portion of the Valentine's Day wallet.
Pre-Recession and Post-Recession Valentine's Day Consumer Shopping, Buying, and Spending Predictions From the NRF:
Do you plan to celebrate Valentine's Day this year?
YES
2012 - 59.4%
2011 - 58.1%
2008 - 61.3%
2007 - 63.4%
How much money do you plan to spend on Valentine's Day gifts for:
VALENTINE'S GIFT SPENDING FOR SIGNIFICANT OTHER / SPOUSE
2012 - $10.3 billion
2011 - $9.3 billion
2008 - $11.0 billion
2007 - $11.3 billion
VALENTINE'S GIFT SPENDING FOR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS (CHILDREN, PARENTS, ETC.)
2012 - #3.5 billion
2011 - $3.1 billion
2008 - $3.3 billion
2007 - $3.5 billion
VALENTINE'S GIFT SPENDING ON PETS
2012 - $0.52 billion
2011 - $0.681 billion
2008 - $0.310 billion
2007 - NA
Which gifts do you plan to give on Valentine's Day?
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF CANDY
2012 - 50.5%
2011 - 47.5%
2008 - 47.7%
2007 - 48.4%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF FLOWERS
2012 - 36.0%
2011 - 34.3%
2008 - 35.9%
2007 - 36.7%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF JEWELRY
2012 - 18.9%
2011 - 17.3%
2008 - 16.6%
2007 - 17.9%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF CARD
2012 - 52.0%
2011 - 52.1%
2008 - 56.8%
2007 - 62.8%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF AN EVENING OUT
2012 - 35.6%
2011 - 34.6%
2008 - 48.2%
2007 - 45.3%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF CLOTHING
2012 - 14.6%
2011 - 14.4%
2008 - 11.8%
2007 - 11.6%
VALENTINE'S GIFTS OF GIFTCARDS/GIFT CERTIFICATES
2012 - 13.3%
2011 - 12.6%
2008 - 12.3%
2007 - 11.3%
OTHER VALENTINE'S GIFTS
2012 - 10.4%
2011 - 11.2%
2008 - 10.1%
2007 - 10.0%
TOTAL VALENTINE'S DAY CONSUMER SPENDING PREDICTED
2012 - $17.6 billion
2011 - $15.7 billion
2008 - $17.0 billion
2007 - $16.9 billion
More About Consumer Holiday Spending Trends:
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