Valentine’s Day: Most Brits plan to spoil their better half with a card, sex, dinner, flowers or a takeaway
Following last year’s Valentine’s Day lockdown, most lovebirds are in the mood to celebrate this year, with more than half planning something special.
In fact, with the very recent lifting of all Covid restrictions in the UK, over three-quarters plan to celebrate the day like they “usually would” (versus 23 per cent) despite lingering safety concerns regarding the Omicron variant.
By contrast, just under a third of Brits will ignore the day, consumer research platform Attest found today.
Yet Brits appear to be on a tight budget when it comes to Valentine’s Day 2022, potentially due to the rising cost of living and ongoing economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Consumers are most likely to spend £25 or less on a gift this year (at 36%), followed by £25-50 (at 32 per cent).
However, one-fifth (21 per cent) do plan to push the boat out and spend between £50-100 on their partner.
When quizzed on how they might celebrate this year, well over half say they will give a card to their Valentine.
Other answers were sexual activity – 36%; going out for dinner – 35%; cooking a special meal at home – 33%; giving flowers – 28%; giving other shop-bought gifts such as electronics and jewellery – 28%; getting a takeaway – 27%; kind gestures (cleaning the house and breakfast in bed) – 23%; handmade or homemade gifts such as a handwritten poem and a homemade cake at 12%.
For those (28 per cent) who plan to celebrate by giving flowers to their special someone, the clichéd red rose is still the pick of the bunch.
Just under half (46 per cent) of these respondents will purchase this type of flower, followed closely by mixed bouquets (45 per cent).
The reliance by some consumers on the old reliable red rose as a gift could be a risky one, however.
Last year, direct-to-consumer flower brand Bloom & Wild made the radical decision to not sell any red roses for Valentine’s Day, which resulted in double their usual press coverage and boosted sales by four times.
Using Attest’s research platform, the brand found that 79 per cent of people would prefer to receive a thoughtful gift rather than something traditional, like red roses.
In fact, this research also uncovered that 58 per cent of Brits think red roses are a cliché, while 38 per cent feel roses are a last-minute gift choice that shows little thought.
Consumers
When asked more broadly about their feelings towards the day itself, there’s a clear split in attitudes.
However, the majority of Brits, at 59 per cent, view Valentine’s Day as a “nice tradition”, while 36 per cent think it is an invention of marketers.
Finally, the research finds that newer alternatives to Valentine’s Day have gained little popularity amongst the general public. Just 6 per cent say they plan to celebrate Galentine’s Day, on 13 February, and 5 per cent will enjoy Singles Awareness Day on the 15th, instead of Valentine’s Day.
“Despite some Brits being sceptical about Valentine’s Day’s real purpose, the majority will not only celebrate it this year but also view it in a very positive way,” commented Jeremy King, CEO and Founder of Attest.
“This public enthusiasm presents a real opportunity for retailers and brands to be a central part of how people will enjoy the day this year,” he added.