With the nation locked down and many couples not being able to celebrate together, the overall spend on Valentine’s Day this year is set to fall by over a third (36 per cent), from £1.45 billion last year to £926 million.
Annual research from shopping comparison site, finder.com, also found that the average spend per person on things such as gifts, cards or a special meal will drop to £23.25. This is down significantly from last year’s figure of £35.06.
More people are also planning to celebrate Valentine’s day without spending anything. A quarter (26 per cent) of the population will do this, compared to 18 per cent in 2020.
As well as spending less, a growing number of the public are not planning to mark the occasion at all. While 4 in 5 (80 per cent) people marked the occasion in some way last year, only 76 per cent plan on doing so this year.
Those planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year don’t have a huge range of options available to them, especially if they live apart. Worryingly, 3 in 10 (30 per cent) of those who are in a relationship, but live apart, plan to spend time together indoors on February 14th. This makes it the top plan for these couples, despite it being a violation of lockdown rules.
The research found that the second most popular option for couples who live apart is to chat via video messaging or on the phone, with a quarter (25 per cent) of those celebrating doing this. A further 19 per cent plan to go on a walk and 14 per cent will exchange gifts.
Couples who live together appear to be prioritising good food in order to make the occasion special. The number one plan for them is to get a takeaway (27 per cent), closely followed by cooking a special meal (26 per cent).
The next most popular option for couples in the same residence is to simply watch a movie or TV box set together (21 per cent), while 19 per cent also plan to go on a walk. Living together isn’t stopping gifts being exchanged for 18 per cent of these couples as well.
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