With Valentine’s Day approaching, Trustpilot, the unbiased reviews platform of the international world, has released its “Valentine’s Day Spending Trends” survey and going by its figures, there is an evident shift in the way Americans plan to spend it this year. Although 73% of them still intend to celebrate the holiday, 77% would prefer to spend on milestone expenditure, such as saving for a home, compared to spending on presents. The article breaks down the results of the survey, monitoring consumer expenditures and what that could portend for the holiday.
Consumer intentions: Celebrating with caution
Despite the ongoing economic pressures, a majority of Americans are still keen to celebrate Valentine’s Day. According to the January 28-29, 2025, Trustpilot survey, 73% of consumers plan to celebrate. But how they would like to do it is quite different from previous years.
The survey reveals that the existing customers are experience-oriented rather than material gifts. Almost 42% of the respondents said that they would be more thrilled with an evening out than with gifting. Only 28% are actually going to hold on to the traditional gift-giving practice with cards, baubles, flowers, or chocolates.
Financial priorities take center stage
The poll unveils growing budgetary responsibility from consumers. A staggering 77% of the public would rather spend on worthy financial goals, not Valentine’s Day purchases. This is one view accompanied by big budgetary concerns that have led many people to question the spending of money.
Some of the major factors behind this include:
- Affordability concerns: Approximately 35% of the subjects cited affordability as one of the primary reasons for spending zero on festivals.
- Savings ahead of spending: Another 25% responded that they save and then spend on the festival.
- Economic living and financial problems: Approximately 11% cited inflation as the reason why they could not spend more this year, and 9% were worried about the economy in the long run.
Interestingly enough, only 20% of consumers reported they would spend more this year than the previous year, which would be indicative of a conservative mindset during hard economic times.
The new norm: Pinching pennies
As consumers are bypassing these budget limitations, many of them are seeking inexpensive means through which to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The survey reported that:
- Spending limits: The majority of the 40% of the interviewees stated that they were going to spend less than $50 as a gift. However, only 19% were going to spend $100 to $150.
- Partner expectations: The majority (52%) of them expected partners to spend less than $50 on their gifts and painted a whole mass movement of restrained parties.
This indicates that while romantic advances remain to be cherished, customers are also becoming increasingly aware of their own financial status and are adjusting their expectations accordingly.
Quality time rather than material present
Attitude shifts towards Valentine’s Day are observed through the willingness of consumers to choose experiences over material gifts. The Trustpilot survey illustrates how a majority of people would rather spend quality time with loved ones compared to expensive gifts.
Top findings are:
- Experiential desire: The majority of people (35%) preferred dining out as the way to celebrate.
- Low gift expectations: To the surprise of all, 30% would have their partner not spend money on them in the guise of gifts. This is a sign of a general trend away from product towards experiencing.
- Frustration with tradition: People are mostly discontent with traditional Valentine’s Day traditions—such as compulsory gift purchases and Facebook updates—that they believe are materialistic and insincere.
Valentine’s Day: A year of revolution
Against the background of Valentine’s Day this year in 2025, Trustpilot’s survey shows a revolution in American celebration trends for the holiday. Although the romance element is as dominant as ever, economic considerations are changing consumer behavior and attitude.
With so much of the populace being more interested in saving and financial responsibilities than their normal gift-giving culture, businesses may need to make changes to marketing strategies accordingly. Valentine’s Day this year may not be so much romance and love, but also astute financial prudence and shared experience that holds more strongly at minimal cost.
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