- This year, Valentine’s Day is more likely to be celebrated at home or with walks due to the coronavirus measures.
- Last year, Germans spent around 250 million euros on gifts and outings, according to the Love Index, an annual survey by Mastercard.
- This year, too, few want to forgo gifts, according to the survey, which could lead to a boom in online retail.
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Valentine’s Day isn’t letting the current lockdown stop it. People are by adapting experiences like going to restaurants and going out, which have been restricted due to coronavirus measures.
A home-cooked meal is at the top of the Germans’ wish list this year (45 percent). 29 percent are planning a spa day at home, and another 27 percent would like to go for a walk in the park. These results come from Mastercard’s latest Love Index, which is published annually for Valentine’s Day.
Forty-eight percent of respondents said it was important for them to celebrate the day in a special way, with 41 percent spending more time planning and being more creative with gifts than in previous years. This should also please online retailers: a third of Germans (33 percent) also want to invest more money than before and more than ever (41 percent) are buying their gifts online.
Spending up 47 percent in the last 10 years
The Love Index also analyzes Valentine’s Day trends over the last ten years. During this period, Germans’ spending has risen by 47 percent and the number of purchases by as much as 193 percent. While Germans spent around 170 million euros on experiences and gifts in 2011 in the period from February 9 to 15, last year it was already around 250 million euros.
Up until this year, restaurants, in particular, benefited from the Valentine’s Day boom, as spending here rose by 114 percent over the past ten years. Jewelers and florists have also enjoyed strong growth in Valentine’s Day sales over the past ten years. They rose with the jewelers around 69 percent (Floristen 49 percent) and the number of the purchases even around 191 percent (Floristen: 82 percent). Slightly declining was however already in the last year the expenditure trend of romantic short vacation and hotel overnight accommodation (-7 percent).
The survey also highlights the boom in online dating platforms: more than one in five Germans (22 percent) found a relationship online last year and 16 percent had a zoom or video date. Almost one in four (23 percent) went on a date at a distance and 21 percent registered with online dating sites or apps last year.
“Of course, this year was different than all the others, but we continue to see spending around Valentine’s Day at an all-time high, primarily due to the trend toward online shopping,” said Juliane Schmitz-Engels, Head of Communications Germany and Switzerland at Mastercard.
Information on the Love IndexThe annual Mastercard Love Index was created by analyzing credit, debit, and prepaid card transactions in 53 countries calculated over the following time periods: February 9-15, 2011; February 9-15, 2019; and February 9-15, 2020. Market research firm Fly Research also surveyed 19,000 adults in 19 countries in January 2021.
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