Fun Freetime: Valentine's Day Trends

What is the most popular Valentine's Day gift?  It's not a box of chocolates. It's actually a framed photo, according to Roni Riechert, Head of Smilebox Studios. Smilebox is a photo-sharing and social expression website offering design templates that include greetings, slideshows, scrapbooks, postcards, invitations, photo albums, print/mail, and more. Here are more trends they've highlighted.

• In February, cuffing is still in process - cuffing is when people couple up before the holidays - and it generally lasts through March, which is when couples decide whether the relationship is a keeper or not. First Valentine’s Day gifts tend to be a bit more awkward, but a card is always a good choice.

• Ironically, Break-ups get prominent attention on V-day.  Did you hear about the zoo that named cockroaches after ex-significant others and fed them to the meerkats on V-day?  This year you can find special cards to help friends nurse a relationship hangover, inform invitees about a wedding postponement or cancellation, or initiate a breakup with someone you want to CANCEL.

• Photos are the number one Valentine’s Day gift, according to research, gifted more frequently than chocolate, flowers, or lingerie.

• Pet V-Day cards are becoming a thing - Valentine’s Day cards that feature your “other” best friend for the ultimate blended relationship.

• All the Single Ladies turn Valentine’s Day into a gal-pal holiday. Don’t be surprised if you are invited to a Galentine’s Day Party this year. And - in case anyone (male OR female) feels left out due to their single status, February 15 has been named  “Singles Awareness Day,” a holiday specifically for the unattached. 

• Men tend to make more Social Media mentions of V-day than women. While men age 18-25 were more focused on what they were buying or planning for the day, women and older men (55+) tended to talk emotions.

• Self Love - In 2019 more than one-third of those under 35 said they were not celebrating V-day but instead, will splurge on themselves or spend time with single friends.  Overall spending for V-day is drastically down from 10 years prior but those who do celebrate V-day are expected to spend more (lose the chocolates, buy a Ferrari!). 

• Experiential Valentine’s Day gifts were more popular (spa day, concert tickets) in the 18-34 age range, giving loving partners the opportunity to create a special memory together.

About Smilebox (www.smilebox.com):  

Smilebox enables people to tell the stories of their (and their loved ones) lives with easy-to-customize slideshows, cards, invitations, memorials, flyers and more. Founded in 2005, the company now has over 20 million subscribers and more than 1 million photos uploaded every month. Within its Basic, Premium and Pro subscriptions, Smilebox offers digital distribution as well as print options, and a new iOS app for designing Instagram Stories and more on the go. Smilebox is a division of Perion Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: PERI).