Valentine’s Day is said to be one date on the calendar that is relatively immune to overriding economic concerns of consumers. And the good news this year is that consumers do not seem to have plans to cut back spending. The bad news: They aren’t going to increase spending, either.
52% of the consumers PriceGrabber surveyed say the economy will not be a factor in their spending plans. 22% plan to up the ante over what they spent last year, while 78% said they have no plans to spend extra.
Greeting cards, candy, flowers and a night out are the most frequently-mentioned items on the agenda.
Men will focus almost entirely on their significant others, according to Experian’s PriceGrabber. In fact, the focus is of the tunnel-vision variety, with 95% of men surveyed saying that was where their money was headed.
Women also predominately focus on significant others, to the tune of 73%, but family spending is in the works for 52% and friends make the list in 13% of all cases.
Let’s not forget pets – 6% will not forget their furry, feathered and/or scaled companions when they make their Valentine’s purchases.
RBR-TVBR observation: Stations looking to move some last-minute inventory may be able to hook up with restaurants that are not yet booked solid on 2/14/11 or the weekend preceding that day. There will be a ready audience for such a message, with 42% of all women and 53% of all men planning on spending cash for an evening out.
