Consumers shopping for Valentine’s Day have shown a propensity for returning to pre-pandemic behaviors, according to market research firm Numerator, but many folks still want to celebrate by cooking at home.
Alcohol showed the steepest gain in Valentine’s gifting intention while electronics and jewelry declined.
In all, 52% of Valentine’s Day celebrators said they planned to buy gifts either for themselves or for others, up four points from the occasion from 2021. However, gift buying remains well below pre-pandemic norms, down 16 points from February 2020.
Dining out rebounded sharply in Numerator’s 2022 research, with 36% of consumers intending to go out for food or drinks on Valentine’s Day, up from 17% in 2021 and climbing back toward the 45% who planned to head out in February 2020.
Numerator points out that 48% of consumers plan to do their Valentine’s Day shopping online in 2022, down from 53% of consumers in 2021. Half of the respondents expect rising prices to have a slight impact on their Valentine’s Day shopping, and 24% expect a significant impact.
