Valentine’s Day is known for being a celebration of love and romance in many countries. This day is observed on the 14th of February every year. Valentine’s Day has cultural, religious and commercial value all over the world. Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated through the exchange of gifts between loved ones. Many product and marketing ideas are around everyone to make your loved one happy.
Gifts such as candy, flowers, home-baked cookies, and gift cards are the most common. The day is named after Saint Valentine, who is known as a distinct historical figure. The present Valentine’s Day is a mixture of both Roman and Christian traditions.
Origin of the Valentine’s Day
Technically, the accurate origin of Valentine’s Day is covered in mystery. According to the Catholic Church, there are at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, and all of whom were martyrs.
The most popular depiction of the origins says that Saint Valentine of Terni defied the Emperor of Rome, Claudius II by performing marriages between young lovers. Emperor Claudius had this weird idea that if a person was not in love or was single, they would’ve made a better soldier. So, he announced a decree that young people can’t get married. Saint Valentine was beheaded for his defiance publicly.
One story suggests that Saint Valentine died valiantly trying to rescue Christians from a Roman prison where they were brutally tortured. One Legend also says that Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. A letter has later signed by him which said that “From Your Valentine”.
Geographical Location
Although it traces back to ancient Rome, over the years, the celebrations became global as Valentine’s Day gained fame as the most prominent occasion to celebrate love and romance all over the world.
Around the world, few countries don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day even in a small way. Some countries like China hold festivals to appreciate the joy and beauty of love, while in other countries the celebration is held amongst the people.
The Europeans and the Americans Celebrate Valentine’s Day with great passion and joy. Countries like Canada, Australia, France, the USA, and England particularly are highly popular for the celebration of Valentine’s Day. Mostly because these countries are very popular for tourists who are couples.
Types of POD products for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is especially known for its tradition to exchange gifts. It is one of the most profitable times for businesses because the number of gifts purchased on this occasion is not like anything else. The print-on-demand businesses and stores during this occasion undertake various marketing strategies and offer a large variety of products in their store.
During this occasion, the POD stores offer product designs that portray “love” or “affection”. IN the clothing/apparel sector, T-shirts, mufflers, socks, caps, sweatshirts are mostly purchased. “
Valentine’s Day is a time when shoppers are looking for unique gifts for their loved ones, which is why engraved jewelry and customized accessories are widely purchased. Customized gifts feel very personal, which is why shoppers end up relying on them a lot. Customized accessories like lockets, tote bags, and pillowcases are extremely popular during this time.
Most of the common POD Products for Valentine’s Day are gift cards and postcards. These are more or less exchanged by everyone. Moreover, love mugs or heart-shaped mugs are also considered as cute gifts during Valentine’s Day. Here is a rundown of the most popular gifts during valentine’s day –
- Couple T-shirts
- Heart-Shaped Mugs
- Pillowcases
- Engraved jewelry
- Customized Locket
- Gift cards
- Postcards
How it is celebrated?
The most popular way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is through the exchange of gifts. This is a tradition that has been going around for many years. Doesn’t matter if the individuals involve couples, friends or family, the exchange of gifts is extremely popular.
The idea of Valentine’s Day is more or less the same around the world, but the celebration changes due to cultural differences. For example, In Latin America, Valentine’s Day is known as “The day of the lovers”.
Countries like Brazil and Columbia celebrate through showing appreciation for one another. Asian countries like China and Hong Kong hold festivals to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Countries like the Philippines, use this day to perform weddings.
European countries like France, and Italy see an increase in Church gatherings. Countries like the US and UK see exponential sales of gift cards and flowers. The gift-giving tradition is constant throughout the world. Gift cards and flowers are common in some parts while chocolates and home-baked cupcakes or cookies are prominent in others.
Market Value or Expenditure on Valentine’s Day
As every year passes, the market for Valentine’s Day products expands. As of 2020, an estimated total of the market this year is about $27.4 billion. It means, and an additional $27.4 billion is getting added to the economy (NRF). It is more than $0.7 billion in 2019. As we can see, it is an ever-expanding market.
Valentine’s Day shoppers said that they intend to spend an average of $196.31 per person. That is a 21% increase over the last year’s record of $161.96. The greatest portion of Valentine’s expenditure goes to spouses and romantically involved individuals which are at 52 percent of the aggregate, or a normal $101.21 this year, up from $93.24 in 2019.
Be that as it may, a lot of the spending is down from 61 percent 10 years back. The offer spent on most different beneficiaries has gone up over the previous decade, with the sum spent on colleagues, for instance, dramatically increasing to 7 percent of the aggregate from 3 percent. The offer for pets has likewise multiplied, to 6 percent from 3 percent in a similar timeframe.
Symbols and elements of Valentine’s Day
The symbol of Valentine’s Day is the symbol of Love. A red shape of a heart. It is often associated with flowers, kisses and even Doves. Another common symbol of Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Cupids look like small children with wings and a heart-shaped bow and arrow.
It is believed that when cupids hit someone their arrows, the person will fall in love with the first-person s/he sees. Elements of Valentine’s Day include flowers, especially Red Roses, as they are known as a symbol of love. Other Elements include coupled animals, things that resemble the shape of a heart, arrow-stricken hearts, flowery designs, Balloons, fireworks, etc.
POD Products for Valentine’s Day and the Potential Customers
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and in general, it is for everyone. If we go by demographics, the age range can begin from 16 – 80. Let’s look at some statistics.
- In the US, men spend a normal of $339 for their Valentine’s, while the ladies will money out altogether less, a normal of $264 for similar gifts, as indicated by Bankrate.
- More youthful (twenty to thirty-year-old) spend the most, with 15% of them spending a normal of $500 or more on their accomplices for Valentine’s day, as per a similar report.
- 40-50-year-old shoppers spend around $268, while shoppers above 50 spend just about $150 for their Valentine, as per a similar report.
- In the UK, men will, in general, spend around £44 by and large, contrasted with £26 for ladies, as indicated by Finder’s insights.
- Recent college grads are the most noteworthy spending populace in the UK also, with a large portion of them spending around £42 for their Valentine.
From the above statistics, we can determine that the primary customers or the shoppers for Valentine’s Day are at least 20 to 30-year-old customers. Among them, falls the newlyweds, the “just” adults as well as the mature individuals who celebrate love.
Conclusions
Valentine’s Day is one of the most successful commercial holidays for businesses. POD businesses, in particular, are offering quality products and keeping the products with the themes in the spirit of celebrating love. Since Valentine’s Day is about tradition and exchanging gifts, it has been easier for businesses to reach out to their target customers during this occasion.
