Valentine's Day special: a collection of romantic stats from Mintel

CHICAGO, US: OK, Valentine's Day has come and gone, but there's another coming around next year, and the year after, and... So Mintel decided to take a look at Valentine's Day just passed, and see what everyone was giving the object of their desires... Well, in the US, at least...

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day with a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolate or a romantic dinner with your loved one? However, Valentine's Day is not just a celebration of love, but also as with other seasonal festivities, an important sales booster. And as we take research to hearth here at Mintel, we have compiled a special Valentine's Day release, packed with Valentine's themed stats.

•Say it with flowers: 49% of Americans bought flowers for Valentine's Day.

•Who is the most romantic? 57% of Americans aged 35/44 bought flowers for Valentine's Day versus 44% of 18-24s.

•52% of American consumers planned to purchase greeting cards for Valentine's Day.

•Something special planned? 36% of American consumers planned an evening out for Valentine's Day.

•A girl's best friend? 34% of American men, who bought jewellery in the past two years, bought a (not wedding related) diamond ring.

•One in five (20%) Americans who have bought jewellery for someone in the past 2 years did it for Valentine's Day.

•Spray it with love - 31% of Americans prefer musk scent fragrances and 29% citrus.

•In 2012 Americans spent US$3.5 billion on fragrances: US$2.2bn on women's fragrances and US$1.3 billion on men's fragrances.

•Sweets for your sweet? In the US, half (50%) of chocolate eaters buy chocolate for holidays or as a gift item.

•Milk or dark? Milk chocolate is preferred by 57% of chocolate consumers in the US, with dark (33%) and white (10%) chocolate coming in a distant second and third.

•The chocolate divide - 67% of consumers aged 25-34 prefer milk chocolate compared to 50% of those aged 55-64.

•In 2012 Americans splashed US$4.5 billion on seasonal chocolate.

•Bubbling over with love? In the US, gifting is a primary motivation for buyers to purchase soap and bath products, with four in ten (38%) people buying specialty bath products as a gift, and a similar proportion (37%) also receiving gifts of bubble bath/bath salts.

•Over half (52%) of American women have received soap/bath specialty products (bubble bath, bath salts, etc.) as a gift from someone in 2012.

•The smell of romance is in the air - nearly a quarter (31%) of consumers in the US say they use their more expensive fragrance products for special occasions only.