Valentine’s Day is one of the first major seasonal sales moments of the year, and in 2026, it will once again shape global shopper behavior across continents. Celebrated widely across North America, Europe, and Australia, and increasingly adopted in Asia and Latin America, Valentine’s Day blends romance, friendship, and self-care into an international shopping event.
While traditions differ, one trend is universal: shoppers look for inspiration early, and they expect fast, convenient ways to buy once they find the right product.
For brands, this means one thing: success in 2026 requires full-funnel commerce readiness across every touchpoint.
Why Valentine’s Day Matters for Global Commerce
After the slower post-holiday period, Valentine’s Day injects critical momentum into global retail, particularly in CPG categories like Confectionery, Beauty, Personal Care, Alcohol, and Pet Care.
2025 Valentine’s Day Spending highlights just how significant the occasion has become:
- U.S.: Valentine’s Day spending hit $27.5B, setting a national record
- UK: Brits spent nearly £1B on gifts, flowers, and dine-at-home meals
- France: Average spend reached €154 per person, with 36 percent of the French participating
- Australia: Record-high AUD $535M spending, with more than 3.8M active gift buyers
Across regions, the MikMak Shopping Index reveals clear, consistent behavioral Valentine’s Day patterns:
- Shopper traffic begins rebuilding by mid-January
- Discovery surges in the two weeks before Valentine’s Day
- Last-minute purchasing peaks the day before and during the weekend. In 2025, the highest traffic occurred on Saturday, Feb 15
Top CPG Categories That Win Valentine’s Day
Across markets, several categories consistently benefit from this seasonal spike:
- Chocolate & Confectionery – evergreen favorites. Valentine’s Day-related chocolate sales surged more than 5× in January–February 2025.
- Beauty & Fragrance – high-value gift sets and limited editions. Lipstick, make-up, and fragrance were among the fastest-growing eCommerce categories in the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.
- Personal Care & Self-Care – fueled by “self-love” and “Galentine’s” trends.
- Alcohol – sparkling wine, special releases, and celebration kits. Valentine’s Day 2025 spending in the UK included £11M on champagne (+5.7 percent) and £38M on sparkling wine, highlighting alcohol as a key part of celebrations.
- Pet Care – the rise of “pet valentines” continues.
💎 Brand example: Toblerone UK combines Valentine’s Day storytelling with seamless shopping experiences
Key Commerce Strategies to Boost Valentine’s Day Sales
Capture early discovery and non-branded intent
While last-minute purchases spike, many shoppers begin researching weeks in advance. The MikMak Shopping Index consistently shows Valentine’s Day shopper traffic beginning its ascent in January. Early discovery clicks often lead to conversions later in the funnel.
Consumers are often first looking for the perfect gift, not necessarily a specific brand. Non-brand search queries rise to 68 percent, as consumers begin with broad intent (“gift ideas for her,” “self-care gifts,” “unique Valentine’s ideas”). So, here’s what you can do:
| 💡 Tactics for 2026 | 🎯 How MikMak Helps |
| Shift budgets earlier: Launch category- and gift-focused discovery campaigns early to capture seasonal intent. | Audience building with first-party data: Capture early visitor intent through MikMak Commerce interactions and build high-value retargeting audiences well before February. |
| Collect insights from both non-brand and brand-specific search: collect shopper behavior signals across your media mix. | Real-time optimization: Shift media spend toward the retailers, creatives, and channels delivering the strongest conversion performance based on real-time insights. |
| Optimize for the peaks: Prepare for a full weekend of last-minute gifting. Highlight special offers, fast shipping, and Click & Collect options. | Digital coupons: Activate special offers directly within shoppable content, guiding shoppers to the most compelling purchase path and increasing last-mile conversion. |
Make Every Discovery Touchpoint Shoppable
Valentine’s Day inspiration happens across multiple channels. Shoppers may discover products on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest, then check brand websites, search engines, retailer sites, or even generative AI recommendations.
Brands that fail to make these interactions shoppable risk losing both sales opportunities and loyalty. Every interaction, from inspiration to purchase, must reduce friction. Try this:
| 💡 Tactics for 2026 | 🛍️ How MikMak Helps |
| Enable shoppable discovery across all channels: Connect every point of inspiration from social, search, email, influencer content, and brand websites to in-stock products at retailers, so consumers can act immediately. | Unified shoppable experiences: Deliver seamless shoppable content across organic and paid media, email, influencers, brand websites, and more. |
| Promote gift sets and bundles: Perfect for raising Average Order Value (AOV) during special occasion campaigns. | Enhanced shoppable bundles: Enable higher AOV and multi-SKU basket building directly with retail partners. |
| Bridge online and offline: Ensure shoppers can easily check local inventory and fulfillment options. | Real-time inventory routing: Ensure shoppers always land on in-stock retailer options, reducing friction and boosting conversions. |
💓Brand Examples:
Lindt turns Valentine’s inspiration into action with shoppable Instagram content
K-Y boosts Valentine’s Day sales by routing shoppers directly to retail partners
Transform Seasonal Traffic Into Your Most Valuable Audience
Valentine’s Day generates high-intent traffic that can fuel your 2026 marketing strategy. By tracking shopper intent and preferences, from the first impression to clicks on retailer checkout options, you can identify which channels, influencers, creatives, and SKUs are truly driving conversions. Then, allocate your budget toward the audience segments with the highest conversion potential.
| 💡 Tactics for 2026 | 🚀 How MikMak Helps |
| Segment by intent: Turn on audience measurement and segmentation throughout the funnel, from top-funnel awareness campaigns to conversions. | Smarter retargeting: Re-engage shoppers and retarget audiences based on specific MikMak events, like Purchase Intent Clicks or Add-to-Cart actions. |
| Activate high-intent lookalikes: Build new audiences to reach shoppers most likely to convert and expand reach efficiently. | High-performing lookalikes: Leverage deep commerce signals, not just ad impressions or video views, to find high-converting consumers with precision. |
| Deliver consistent omnichannel experiences: Align messaging, offers, and creative across platforms to guide shoppers smoothly from discovery to purchase. | Seamless omnichannel activation: Leverage MikMak Audiences across all major media platforms, ensuring consistent and measurable conversions. |
2026 Will Reward Brands That Turn Inspiration Into Action
Valentine’s Day shoppers move fast, and MikMak helps you move faster.
By making every touchpoint shoppable, connecting your media to preferred retailers, and measuring performance across all channels, MikMak transforms seasonal inspiration into verified retail outcomes.
Don’t let high-intent Valentine’s traffic lead to dead ends. Let MikMak turn it into conversions, AOV growth, and lasting customer value.
👉 Schedule a demo to learn how MikMak can help drive sales this Valentine's Day season.
