The big business of Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day, and Americans are breaking out their wallets. US consumers are expected to spend a total of $25.8 billion to celebrate the holiday, according to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation.

This spending largely falls into three categories:

• Spending on significant others: This category is expected to account for a record $14.2 billion of overall Valentine’s spending, with the top gifts being candy, cards, flowers, and an evening out (in that order).
• Self-love: As the great queen Beyoncé said, me myself and I, that’s all I got (and you deserve some lovin’ too!). 39% of US consumers said they bought themselves a Valentine’s Day gift last year.
• Anti-Valentine’s Day: At that point where the sight of happy couples makes you sick? There’s a market for that, too. The San Antonio Zoo runs an annual Valentine’s fundraiser that allows donors to symbolically name a roach or rodent after their ex, then have the zoo staff feed it to the animals. The promotion has raised $235,000+ since 2020.

Some Valentine’s Day offers are also free-ninety-nine. For example, P.F. Chang’s is offering six free dumplings to anyone who was recently broken up with via text.

❣️ Fun fact: Valentine’s Day celebrations are like inventing new slang words – largely a young person’s game. 62% of Americans ages 25-34 plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, more than any other age group.

+COPYWRITING TEAM SHAMELESS PLUG: We couldn’t let the Valentine’s Day fun pass us by. Satisfy your inner Elle Woods and head over to The DONUT merch store to get 10% off our entire Valentine’s Day-themed Collection, curated with pink products and self-care in mind.