We explore the highest Valentine’s Day gift spenders and how marketers can best engage them.
A quarter of Britain’s adults — 13.6 million people — buy Valentine’s Day gifts each year. Most keep it relatively modest, spending under £50. But there’s a standout group: the 11% who spend £150+. That’s 1.4 million people willing to spend big in the name of romance.
Meet the high spenders
These buyers want to be seen. They invest in looking their best and they take active steps to stand out — far more than the average Valentine’s shopper.
They’re also different in other ways. 62% of them are men, they are more likely to be single and they are also show a bias towards younger age groups and related life stages such as ‘Flown the Nest’ and ‘Primary School Parents’.
And being single plays out in their behaviour. They’re almost three times more likely to use dating apps, and 39% more likely to view those apps as “fun” rather than a path to something serious.
Where to reach them
TGI shows these high‑value spenders are heavy media consumers. They are considerably more likely to sit in the top 20% of consumers for magazines, cinema and outdoor media.
And within magazines, their top interests stand out clearly:
- Travel & holidays
- Fitness
- Health & wellbeing
Why this matters for marketers
They’re young. They’re image‑driven. They over‑index on premium behaviours. And they’re consistently present across media channels that reward bold creative. If you want to catch their attention, meet them where they already are — and speak to their need to stand out.