Valentine’s Day is never far off, which means that one of the biggest marketing events is around the corner too. There can be no doubt about it, the day of love has become a great opportunity to market, sell, and attract new customers.

That being said, is it still as big an opportunity as it was five to ten years ago? Should your business take advantage of a Valentine’s marketing opportunity?

In this blog, Adventa examines the amount Brits spend on Valentine’s Day and whether it's worth changing your marketing strategy during this period. We will also examine Valentine's customer activations to determine whether you should buy Valentine-specific products to sell to customers.

How Much Do Consumers Spend on Valentine’s?

Valentine’s Day is a big spending holiday worldwide, focusing on gifts and tactile expressions of love and affection. Flowers, chocolates, soft toys, photo frames, heart-shaped trinkets (check out the Adventa heart-shaped wholesale keyrings), and jewellery put back UK spenders by approximately £1.5 billion in 2025.

According to Finder, 2025 saw over 32.7 million Brits (61% of the population) celebrate Valentine’s Day. This was actually a significant drop from five years previous. In lockdown, love soared, with over 41.4 million people celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2020.

However, interestingly enough, in 2025 the total spent on Valentine’s Day gifts and goodies was £1.5 billion (£52 per person), while 2020 saw £1.45 billion, with the per-person spending at £35 per person. So, based on this information, it seems that while fewer people are in the mood for love, those who are are spending more on it. 

Valentine Customer Activations to Try

In marketing, customer activations are the implementation of campaigns, events, and experiences that resonate with the audience, engage them, and generate awareness of your brand. The activation process focuses on guiding customers on the path to purchase, often through an interactive experience.

Using customer activations during the Valentine’s period will encourage customers to choose your products over other options. It will also allow you to interact with your customers, setting you up for the year ahead.

Here are a few online and offline Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns and promotions your business can try for Valentine’s Day:

  • Create an interactive social media campaign
  • Create a social media contest to improve engagement
  • Encourage loyal customers to spread the love with referrals
  • Celebrate different kinds of love on your social media platforms 
  • Tap into trends like “Galentines” and “Palentines”
  • Celebrate love within your business on social media
  • Create engaging, heart-warming video and photo content
  • Offer customers exclusive savings or a loyalty program
  • Interact with customers to show them how to use your products
  • Create a beautiful, love-celebrating aesthetic in your physical store

Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas

Valentine’s Day promotion ideas don’t stop at activations - there is so much you can do to make your Valentine’s Day campaign a success. Here are ten fantastic marketing strategies to capitalise on the day:

  1. Optimise Local Listings: Update your local listings, such as your Google Business Profile, to attract in-person shoppers. Extend your business hours and add a festive touch by showcasing limited-edition Valentine's Day products or deals through posts and photos on your social platforms.
  2. Request Reviews: Get some love for your online reputation by actively seeking reviews. Encourage customers to share their love for your business, perhaps through playful gestures like distributing cards with in-store purchases or sending emails asking for feedback.
  3. Email Marketing: Utilise email marketing to connect with your audience. Send a simple "Happy Valentine's Day" card to loyal customers, and consider including special offers aligned with a gift guide to engage customers in a non-intrusive way.
  4. Create a Gift Guide: Develop a Valentine's Day gift guide in a blog post format, offering customers ideas for the perfect gift. Include a downloadable guide to drive leads and build trust with your audience throughout the year.
  5. Diversify Offerings: Don't limit your focus to romantic partners; acknowledge the broader market and what Valentine’s Day means to those outside of a couple. Create limited-edition Valentine's Day products or offers for pets, children, self love or anyone special. Position products for a variety of relationships to cater to diverse customer needs.
  6. Local Business Partnerships: Strengthen ties with your local community by partnering with other businesses. Collaborate on social media promotions, share giveaways, or volunteer together. This approach not only fosters local connections but also showcases your commitment to community support, which is becoming more and more important.
  7. Create a Shareable Playlist: Capitalise on the love theme by curating a list of your favourite love songs on a public streaming platform. For brand awareness, include your business name in the playlist title!
  8. Product or Service Repositioning: Refresh a popular product or service to align with Valentine's Day. Adjust names, colours, or features to make offerings feel exclusive to the season, potentially driving more demand. You’ll find that our range of personalisable products are ideal for Valentine’s Day messaging.
  9. Update Search and Display Ads: Don’t forget the technical stuff - modify your Google Ads and Microsoft Ads to feature Valentine's Day themes. Update ad copy to provide fresh, relevant content to your audience.
  10. Organic and Paid Social Media: Combine organic social media posts with paid social ads. Start with free, organic posts to connect with your audience and promote Valentine's Day promotions. Repurpose successful posts into paid ads to reach a broader target market.

Implementing a combination of these strategies can help your business create a successful and engaging Valentine's Day marketing campaign, so try a few of them. And remember, a Valentine’s Day sale can also go a long way, but only if it won’t harm your bottom line.

Why You Should Consider Buying Valentine's Day Specific Products

What does your store sell? If it’s flowers and candy, you’re set for a successful Valentine’s period. But if you don’t sell anything Valentine’s-related, you may want to consider investing in love-themed gifts.

The statistics indicate that Britons mainly keep to the classic trinity. The top three gifts in 2024 were greeting cards (48%), flowers (27%) and food/drink (27%).  Many UK women were also expecting jewellery or candy.

It’s also interesting to note that, while Gen Z preferred being gifted flowers (53%), Baby Boomers would most prefer receiving a greeting card (55%). Over 25 million cards are sent for Valentine’s Day every year, which is truly impressive. So if you stock our personalisable greeting cards, your store will be ready for Valentine’s. 

Better yet, however, would be image-holding products like the Heart Blox or the Glitter Blox. These let lovers display pictures with their loved ones, making an excellent gift for card lovers and gift enthusiasts alike.

What are some of the top Valentine's Day gift ideas?

For a memorable, romantic Valentine's Day, consider personalised gifts like a photo heart dome or specially crafted wall art. DIY gifts, such as handwritten love letters or handmade crafts, show that you care. Ultimately, the best gifts resonate with your partner's preferences and demonstrate your love and consideration.

Why are Valentine’s Day campaigns useful?

Valentine's Day campaigns can engage customers, boost sales, and strengthen brand connections. Need we say more?

When should you start marketing for Valentine's Day?

It’s best to start marketing for Valentine's Day early to maximise your reach and impact. Ideally, businesses should begin their Valentine's Day marketing campaigns a month or two before February 14th. This early start allows for effective planning, content creation, and promotion across various channels. By starting early, businesses have a better chance of capturing the attention of their target audience, staying top-of-mind during the gift shopping period, and accommodating those last-minute shoppers.

Is Valentine's Day big for business?

As we saw in the section discussing what people spend on the day of love, yes, it is - particularly for businesses that offer themed products, traditional gifts, and personalisable products. 

Final Thoughts on Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas

Valentine’s Day presents a fantastic opportunity to market and interact with customers. Show your customers some love this year with well-thought-out campaigns, interesting customer activations, and some seasonal gift options. We definitely find this holiday worth investing in.

If you want to know more about our wholesale product range, get in touch with us today or call +44 (0) 1686 625 100.