Valentine’s Day delivered a week-on-week boost in demand for UK online retailers as shoppers treated loved ones, according to the latest data from Wunderkind, the leading AI-powered performance marketing and identity platform.
Original data from Wunderkind’s Marketing Pulse, which analysed over 54.4million online shopping journeys, showed that year-on-year demand leading up to Valentine’s Day matched that of 2024. Week-on-week, the event delivered a +6.4% boost to ecommerce sales (07 – 14 Feb vs 31 Jan – 06 Feb 2025). This also followed a +5.9% week-on-2-week jump in online revenues compared to the fortnight before (26 – 31 Jan 2025) as shoppers sought out romantic gifts. Meanwhile, conversions and traffic also saw a weekly rise, increasing +8.1% and +12% respectively.
Ahead of the event, Google’s search data showed the UK was the second highest country searching around Valentine’s Day worldwide, second only after Nepal. Meanwhile, Globaldata’s research suggested 69% of 25–34 year-olds in the UK intended to spend on the occasion, a rise of almost +8 percentage points compared to 2024. Globaldata’s research also highlighted the growing trend of Galentine’s and Palentine’s celebrations, where consumers celebrate friendship as well as romance on Valentine’s Day, with 12% expected to have bought gifts for friends during the event, a rise of +3% year-on-year.
Cian Agnew, RVP Client Success International of Wunderkind, commented: “Already a much-loved traditional gifting event, Valentine’s Day continues to be a key moment within the retail calendar for brands to boost engagement and conversions. Now, with growing adoption of the ‘Galentine’s’ and ‘Palentine’s’ movements, there’s an even bigger opportunity for retailers to increase revenues, extend ranging, and capitalise on additional website traffic by capturing visitor email and phone numbers to grow their opted-in databases for later 1:1 retargeting.”
This year, lingerie and swimwear retailers saw the biggest revenue gains in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, according to Wunderkind’s data, with ecommerce sales up +10.9% on average. While sales of lingerie and swimwear outperformed other categories, Shopify’s data also suggested that classic Valentine’s Day gifts, such as flowers and chocolates, had fallen out of favour, with consumers opting for perfume, make-up and houseplants, as the most popular gifting alternatives.
