Gifts U.S. consumers are planning to purchase for Valentine's Day 2024

For Valentine's Day 2024, roughly half of surveyed U.S. shoppers said they would buy chocolate or candy as a gift for another, making it the most shopped for Valentine's Day gift. About a third of respondents said they intended to purchase flowers.

How lucrative is Valentine’s Day?

Americans spent about 26 billion U.S. dollars on Valentine’s Day in 2024. While this is far less than consumers in the United States usually spend on Christmas, Valentine’s Day remained a lucrative holiday. The holiday was an especially valuable day for florists, bars and restaurants, jewelers, and chocolatiers. Still, some people chose to celebrate with a bottle of wine, or a special meal prepared at home, making it a good day for the entire U.S. economy.

Has inflation curbed Valentine’s Day spending?

Valentine’s Day spending peaked in 2020, but otherwise remained fairly consistent over time, even increasing during from 2021 to 2023, a period that was heavily impacted by inflation. Still, some consumers in the United States opted for lower cost gifts from 2022 to 2023 or sought other ways to keep their spending down in 2024. This could account for the planned expenditures on smaller gifts, such as chocolate, candy, and flowers in 2024. Interestingly, candy was one of the gift selections most impacted by inflation from 2022 to 2023.