Valentine’s Day insights 2024
This Valentine’s Day, the spotlight turns to an unexpected group leading the charge in romantic gestures and friendship celebrations: men under 24. We used Vypr to gain insights into Valentine’s Day and it revealed that young men are setting the standard in how much they’re willing to spend. They’re also eager to include their pals. Read on to find out more.
Overall 59% of Brits say they will celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, but it’s the men who are winning the stakes in terms of how much they spend and the effort they’re putting in.
This isn’t just in romantic relationships as the 18 – 24 age group of men are most likely to buy a card for a family member (15%), which is followed by women of the same age (12%). They are also most likely to give a card to a friend with nearly one in five planning to buy for their pals, 18%.
According to exclusive research by consumer insight platform, Vypr, male under-25s are also the group who most like the idea of being proposed to on Valentine’s Day (56%) compared to women of the same age group (37%).
Most Brits are conscious of the cost of celebrating this year with 66% of respondents saying they’ll spend less than £20. The majority of us (35%) are planning to stay at home, with going to a restaurant second choice (15%), and doing an activity in third place (5%). Going to a bar or pub is less popular with just 4% of Brits celebrating the occasion this way.
The cost of gifts is playing on our minds with the majority going for smaller gifts of flowers and chocolate. 77% say they will spend less than £20 on both a card and gift.
However, 18 – 24 year old men buck this trend again, being the most likely to splash out on perfume, aftershave or a meal out for their loved one.
Of those staying at home; 29% will cook a nice meal to mark the day; followed by 22% who simply want to spend time together and 16% will enjoy a takeaway.
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, commented: “The total number of people celebrating Valentine’s Day is down this year from 63% celebrating in 2023. This could be blamed on the cost of living crisis having truly set in as more Brits are choosing to stay at home and not spend very much.
“For the second year in a row Marks & Spencer is the top place to shop when it comes to Valentine’s Day food. Their reputation for indulgent dishes and dining deals for two people will no doubt help to boost their seasonal sales this year. 22% of Brits said Marks & Spencer is their top choice for a home-cooked Valentine’s meal. Tesco came in second with 13% of the vote, Sainsbury’s next with 9%, closely followed by Asda with a lower 9%, and Aldi at 7% just sneaked into the top five. 19% are looking for promotional offers from bars and restaurants to entice them to go out, which suggests that we’re watching our pennies more carefully than ever before this year.”
If you’d like to unlock more consumer insights this Valentine’s, get in touch and try Vypr free.