Valentine's Day 2026

Valentine's Day insights that will steal your heart

Love is in the air – and so is the opportunity to spark connections with active shoppers! More than just a celebration of love, Valentine’s Day is a key cultural moment that drives significant consumer spending. With hearts wide open and carts filling fast, a smart retail media strategy can help you charm your audience and drive results. Explore insights on shopper behaviour leading up to and during Valentine’s Day so you don’t miss the chance to turn heartfelt moments into measurable results.

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Reach shoppers across channels to drive busines impact

Knowing where your shoppers are already engaged and ensuring your brand is visible allows you to play a part in their decision-making process. A presence both online and in-store enables you to capture attention, influence purchase decisions, and drive impact on your sales.

Take a look at last year's shopping activity:

In-store shopping is prominent:¹

prefer to make Valentine's Day purchases in-store

The holiday is a key shopping moment:¹

of shoppers will make a dedicated shopping trip

Online shoppers are engaged, with approximately²

visits to the Valentine's Department last year

¹ Caddle & RCC Valentine’s Day 2025 Survey, 2025.
²Walmart 1P data from Jan. 2025 to Feb. 2025

Searching for the perfect items takes time

Whether it's a staple beauty product, the perfect greeting card, or your Valentine's favourite sweet treat, customers are searching for their perfect items starting roughly one month before the holiday.

This is likely a mix of in-store shoppers doing research ahead of heading to the store and those completing purchases online, emphasizing the importance of an omnichannel strategy.

The two weeks before and the week of the holiday see the most search engagement and is a key moment of visibility for your brand.

Walmart 1P data from Jan. 2025 to Feb. 2025

Top shopped categories by sales

These categories are the top shopped in relation to Valentine's Day. Let shoppers know what you have to offer with strategic placements across channels to influence spend!

Beauty

Chocolate and Candy

Cards and Gifts

Toys

Electronics

Jewellery

Beauty

Chocolate and Candy

Cards and Gifts

Toys

Electronics

Jewellery

Beauty

Understand shopper behaviours in the beauty department.

Explore Beauty insights

Capture their attention - and their hearts

Be visible from the start

With a dedicated Valentine’s Day department homepage, don’t miss your chance to stand out online with a homepage grid tile. This homepage is a popular starting point for most shoppers as they begin their journey and is a prime opportunity to showcase your brand.

Build a strong connection

Utilize placements that engage with those shoppers who have a clear idea of what they’re looking for but might still be influenced by a strategic on-site placements. Leveraging Sponsored Search or a Tile Takeover within your category are great ways to reach these shoppers and showcase your brand and products for Valentine’s Day.

Connect in person

Capture the attention of shoppers by utilizing in-store placements such as blades, wobblers or shrouds to help bring awareness to your brand, and drive purchases.

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