For Valentine's Day - Women Buy Flowers, Men Date Online

Forget Valentine’s Day Stereotypes - Valentine’s Day is the second-biggest card-giving holiday in the US, according to Experian Simmons. And though many Valentine’s Day advertisements feature men showering women with flowers and cards, research from Experian Simmons reveals that women actually buy more online flowers, and eCards enjoy as much popularity as traditional ones.

In 2008, more women visited flower websites than men, according to Hitwise, a sister company of Experian Simmons. In fact, 63% of the visitors to US flower websites in the four weeks ending Feb. 16, 2008 were by females.

Interestingly, the analysis found that only younger and older consumers are most likely to give flowers - because they can’t think of another present. Experian Simmons suggests that this could mean that flowers are either a last-minute gift choice, or that consumers think flowers are appropriate for any occasion which is of course, what florists have been telling us for years or is it eons?

Dating Site Visits Up Around V-Day - Because not everyone has a Cupid’s-Day mate, Simmons research reveals that many single American adults attempt to brighten their Valentine’s Day by using online dating websites. Data from Hitwise shows that there typically is a spike in the number of visits to dating websites in the weeks before February 14, and that males are the predominant visitors to these sites. In February 2008, 57% of the visitors were male - a considerable increase from two years earlier when visitors to dating websites were only 51% male.

Among the four dating websites reviewed by Experian Simmons, men are 36% more likely to select Date.com over the three other prominent competitors (17% for AmericanSingles.com, 19% for eHarmony.com, 13% for Match.com).

E-Cards and Traditional Cards Given Equally - The research also investigated if greeting-card purchases have been overshadowed by e-cards in the past several years. Looking at four geographic areas shows little difference between the use of traditional greeting cards and e-cards. However, those in the West US are less likely to either use/visit greeting card stores like Hallmark.com or purchase greeting traditional greeting cards.

taken from Marketing Charts, 2/13/2009