3 of 10 Valentine’s Day purchases to be made on a mobile device

For Valentine’s Day, smartphone and tablets will account for 28 percent of sales for products in categories traditionally associated with the holiday, according to an infographic by Criteo.

Gifts from jewelers, lingerie and beauty brands, in addition to florists, are common purchases for Valentine's Day with these items reaching daily peaks during the period between Jan. 15 through Feb. 13. With three out of 10 Valentine’s Day purchases being made on mobile, there is a significant window of opportunity for marketers in the weeks after the Christmas holiday rush.

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When broken down into categories, the 28 percent of sales conducted on mobile for Valentine’s Day is as follows: 37 percent for jewelry and lingerie, 27 percent for flowers and gifts and 19 percent for beauty.

Daily sale peaks during the month leading up to Valentine's Day results in a 125 percent increase, understandably, for flowers, 69 percent for jewelry, 38 percent in the lingerie sector and a rise in beauty buys of 52 percent. These sale spikes are much higher than figures in the months that follow due to the lack of holiday occasions associated with those months.

Crieto inforgraphic for Valentine's Day sales

Criteo also found that in February, mobile sales are stronger during the weekend with 25 percent of sales being made on Saturdays and Sundays. Also, in the two weeks prior to Valentine’s Day, sales for lingerie makers and jewelry brands are 76 percent higher than average.

Of the infographic's findings, the most relevant to luxury marketers is that the higher priced gifts, such as jewelry, are purchased in the beginning of the month, around Feb. 2, while items such as lingerie and flowers/gifts are bought much closer to Feb. 14, on the 6th and 11th, respectively.

Crieto inforgraphic for Valentine's Day sales

Citreo built this analysis from 48 million online transactions from more than 200 United States retailers over desktop, smartphones and tablets in 2014.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, retailers are reaching out to consumers via digital channels, looking to drive ecommerce gifting purchases.

From special offers to online exclusives, retailers gave consumers incentives to shop with them online instead of in-store for the holiday, presenting their ecommerce sites as one-stop shopping destinations for confections, apparel, jewelry and beauty products (see story).