Monday 08 February 2016 1:27 pm

Valentine’s Day 2016: Forget about Black Friday and Cyber Monday – today’s the day for peak online hunting for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift

If your colleagues' computer screens have taken on a pink and red hue, don't fire off a concerned email to IT. They're probably just on the hunt for a gift for their significant other as Valentine's Day looms.

According to an analysis of Google Trends data released today by the Post Office, the Monday before Valentine's Day is statistically the most likely day for searching for romantic gifts online.

"It’s clear that Valentine’s Day will bring out the romantic side of millions of people across the UK," said Mark Siviter, head of mails at the Post Office. "Today is set to be Ro-manic Monday, as six days before the big day we expect huge numbers of people start to looking for a gift for their loved one."

It appears we Brits put more thought into our gift hunting than our American counterparts. In the US, online searches for Valentine's Day presents don't reach their peak until 13 February – thank goodness for 24 hour delivery!

However, not everybody in a relationship is going present shopping. In a separate poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of the Post Office, only half of men and just over a third (37 per cent) of women in a relationship said they planned to buy their beloved a gift.

Men are not only more likely to purchase a gift but they're more likely to be generous with the contents of their wallet too. Men shell out an average of £55 on Valentine's Day gifts, while women part with a comparatively measly £25.

However, if you're a City-dweller and you've left it until just now to organise a romantic meal for two, you might find that you're out of luck. Both City Social in Tower 42 and Sky Garden in the Walkie Talkie are fully booked on Saturday night, with old school romantics calling the latter to make bookings as early as September.