Only 1 in 5 Consumers will Dine Out, Down 60% from 2020
CHICAGO, Feb 3, 2021 — Numerator, a data and tech company serving the market research space, has launched a consumer sentiment study to understand how people plan to celebrate, shop and spend for Valentine’s Day 2021. Overall, nearly half (45.8%) of consumers plan to celebrate at home due to COVID-19 concerns, and more than half (52.5%) plan to buy their Valentine’s gifts online.
The consumer sentiment survey of 3,100 verified shoppers in January 2021 shows the following key findings:
- Two-thirds (67.8%) of people said they bought Valentine’s gifts in 2020, but less than half (47.5%) plan to do so this year.
- Last year, more than half (54%) went out for food/drinks to celebrate. In 2021, only 1 in 5 (21%) plan to do so.
- “Going out to eat” dropped by 27 percentage points from 2020 (44.5%) to 2021 (17.4%).
- “Going out for drinks” dropped by 14.6 points from 2020 (20.4%) to 2021 (5.8%).
- “Decorating/sending Valentine’s cards” decreased by 11.8 points, likely impacted by schools being remote or not allowing traditional Valentine’s celebrations this year.
- “At-home entertainment” (e.g., playing games, watching movies, etc.) was the only celebration method that remained flat from 2020 to 2021.
- “Cook at home” (+10 points) and “Order takeout/food delivery” (+12.4 points) were the only two areas that saw increases from last year.
Valentine’s Day Celebration Methods
Percentage of Respondents Selecting
| 2020 | 2021 | Point Change | |
| Go out to eat | 44.5% | 17.4% | -27.1 |
| Buy gifts (for myself or others) | 67.8% | 47.5% | -20.3 |
| Go out for drinks | 20.4% | 5.8% | -14.6 |
| Decorate/Send Valentine’s Day cards | 37.6% | 25.8% | -11.8 |
| Visit friends or family | 14.4% | 7.1% | -7.3 |
| In-person entertainment | 11.8% | 4.7% | -7.1 |
| Decorate my home for Valentine’s Day | 29.1% | 22.6% | -6.5 |
| Travel | 8.7% | 3.5% | -5.2 |
| Host friends or family at home | 10.2% | 5.7% | -4.5 |
| At-home entertainment | 29.7% | 29.3% | -0.4 |
| Cook at home | 24.7% | 34.7% | 10 |
| Order takeout/food delivery | 13.5% | 25.9% | 12.4 |
Source: Numerator Survey
Valentine’s Gifts:
- More than half (52.5%) of people buying Valentine’s gifts plan to do so online this year.
- 57.4% plan to buy from Mass Retailers (e.g. Target, Walmart)
- 37.4% from Grocery Stores
- 24.8% from Dollar Stores
- 21.6% from Drug Stores
- 14.1% from Club Stores
- All gift categories included in the survey showed declines in purchase intent for 2021 vs. 2020, led by Flowers (-14.9 pts), Clothes (-12 pts), and Accessories (-10 pts).
- In 2020, nearly half (45.8%) of Valentine’s gift buyers purchased Flowers; in 2021, less than one-third (30.9%) plan to do so.
- Candy is the most popular gifting category, with 84.4% of consumers purchasing in 2020 vs 74.9% planning to do so in 2021.
- Experiential gifts (concert tickets, plane tickets, hotels, etc.) dropped from 14.3% in 2020 to 5.5% in 2021.
Valentine’s Day Gifting Categories
Percentage of Respondents Selecting
| 2020 | 2021 | Point Change | |
| Flowers | 45.8% | 30.9% | -14.9 |
| Clothes | 32.2% | 20.2% | -12 |
| Accessories | 25.2% | 15.2% | -10 |
| Jewelry | 26.1% | 16.2% | -9.9 |
| Alcohol | 27.9% | 18.4% | -9.5 |
| Candy | 84.4% | 74.9% | -9.5 |
| Experiential | 14.3% | 5.5% | -8.8 |
| Food | 55.1% | 46.7% | -8.4 |
| Spa products | 22.7% | 15.8% | -6.9 |
| Electronics | 13.7% | 9.1% | -4.6 |
Source: Numerator Survey
In addition to Valentine’s Day, the Numerator holiday sentiment study also covers consumer sentiment around St. Patrick’s Day and Easter 2021.
About Numerator
Numerator is a data and tech company bringing speed and scale to market research. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has more than 2,000 employees worldwide. The company blends proprietary data with advanced technology to create unique insights for the market research industry that has been slow to change. The majority of Fortune 100 companies are Numerator clients.
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