Men lead Valentine’s day gifting with over 52% of all gifts purchased; Flowers make up 50% of all gifts

Mumbai 15, February 2023: In India male customers outnumbered female customers when it comes to Valentine’s gifting. Moreover, the average order value for gifts in 2022 was Rs. 1000, a significant increase from pre-covid days when it was Rs. 890.

IGP, India’s leading D2C gifting site, has released this analysis of Valentine’s Day gifting trends for the past few years. The analysis further revealed that the non binary segment is also making its presence felt, with 1% of all customers!

The company further revealed that during Valentine’s week in 2022, nearly 5 lakh flower stems were sold, with roses being the most popular, constituting 70% of the total stems. In addition to flowers, people also preferred gifting chocolates and teddy bears. The most popular hamper consisted of a combination of flowers and chocolates, constituting 40% of total orders, hampers with teddies constituted 30%, and other categories made up the rest of the 30%. “Even though Valentine’s Day is a relatively new addition to the calendar of events in India when compared to a plethora of festivals and occasions celebrated throughout the year, the festival has caught on like wildfire, and people in India have embraced the day as an opportunity to express love and affection to their partners, and the same is reflected in our analysis,” said Tarun Joshi, Founder & CEO, IGP. IGP recorded a record traffic of 5 million visitors looking to buy gifts on Valentine’s Week 2022.

The Indian market has seen Valentine’s grow into a multi-million dollar industry, with people spending lavishly on gifts and experiences to show their love, and Metro cities especially are taking the lead. Further analysis revealed that customers in metros like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai purchased nearly 200% more gifts than in 2019.

Interestingly, among metro cities, residents of Delhi-NCR shop the maximum number of Valentine’s Day gifts amongst the metros in India. According to the latest data for 2022 by IGP, Delhi buys twice as many gifts as Mumbai or Bengaluru. Delhi is not just the capital of online gifts but also of flowers; people in the region buy as many flowers as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad combined!

On the other hand, couples in Delhi and Mumbai are gifting curated Valentine’s Day Gifting Hampers, contributing to 35% of the total Valentine’s Day hampers sold on IGP. The most popular hampers include gorgeous flower arrangements along with gifts like chocolates, teddy bears, and gourmet.

Customers from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, on the other hand, prefer buying gifts for their loved ones from the personalized home decor category. Bengaluru gifts twice as many home decor items as Hyderabad. But when it comes to personalized gifts, customers in Bangalore and Delhi buy the maximum compared to all metros. Delhi buys 35% more personalized gifts than Bengaluru.

IGP also revealed that 80% of people book their Valentine’s gifts on the same day or a day prior. This has prompted the platform to introduce a new range of personalized products with a same-day delivery guarantee as part of Valentine’s collection 2023.

Valentine’s Day has become a symbol of love and togetherness in India, reflecting the changing times and the evolution of societal norms and values. IGP’s analysis showcases the growth and popularity of Valentine’s Day in India and how it has become an important day for expressing love and affection.

“The growing popularity of Valentine’s Day in India can be attributed to the changing attitudes and values of the younger generation, who are more open to expressing their emotions and celebrating love. In a country where arranged marriages are still the norm, the celebration of this day provides a much-needed platform for couples to express their love and affection towards each other,” Tarun added.